Broken like me
by MissRai
Summary: Never in her wildest imagination did she think she would meet someone broken and lonely like her. When she stared into his eyes, she could see how much he needed someone. But how could she insert herself in his isolated circle? She desperately wanted to be his friend. Wanted to see him smile.
1. Chapter 1

Firstly, I don't own Naruto or anything affiliated with it. I don't own any of the images either. In my stories, I don't censor anything. That includes violence, profanity and the like, so I apologize in advance if it offends anyone. This is a Gaara fanfic I've head in my head for a very long time but just never got around to writing it. So here it is. I apologize if it seems my character is over powered but I assure you, she has weaknesses and will be addressed in later chapters. I had to get her background over with or the story wouldn't make much sense. I'm sorry if this first chapter is dry but I hope to make it more exciting later. This story will be more on comfort, friendship and fluff. I'm not that great at action scenes. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and comments are always appreciated.

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Sigyn's grandfather, Ragnar Berg, was abused as a child and his ninjutsu exploited for monetary gain. As a teenager, he managed to escape those who held him hostage. When they realized he was gone, they searched endlessly for him. During the confrontation, Ragnar refused to be recaptured, tortured and humiliated once more. He was severely outnumbered but he had a very special technique hidden away. As an Earth ninjutsu user, he could wield the forbidden technique 'Earthquake.' This outlawed move was taboo among the Earth users for its devastating effects.

Regardless, Ragnar refused to be imprisoned and used said jutsu on his enemies, killing all but one, who managed to escape the carnage. Since then, Sigyn's grandfather had been on the run, for the one who escaped, reported what happened to the local authorities. Ragnar was labeled a serial killer and extremely dangerous. He was to be apprehended and hanged immediately. Leaders from all neighboring villages including Konoha, Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure, all had bounties on Ragnar's head. They sent ANBU, bounty hunters and very skilled ninja to find him but they all came up empty.

As the years passed and Ragnar became more skilled in his jutsu, he made a comfortable living with the diamonds he was able to produce, thanks to his special kekkei genkai. Eventually, he married a beautiful young woman from Kumogakure, the village hidden in the clouds. She was no ninja, no special talents and she didn't come from a wealthy family. Her name was Erika. She was a loving and devoted wife to Ragnar and for a time, they were very happy. Together, they had a child. A little girl named Misa.

Around when little Misa was 10 years old, Ragnar, now a wealthy business man in the diamond and precious jewels trade, had acquired many enemies. People who were still perusing him for the murders of those men many years ago and other jealous business men who could not fathom how he was able to quire such wealth so quickly. Fearing the worst for his family, Ragnar, using his special Earth jutsu and kekkie genkai, created an underground city. The village hidden within the Earth.

Safe from outsiders, Ragnar personally invited people, whom he thought worthy, to live in his city. It was made up mostly from people of a poor background. People down on their luck or who wanted a fresh start. Slowly, it grew and grew into a large, thriving community. However, every single person who was invited or born in the city had to swear an oath of secrecy. No one was to know of the village hidden within the Earth. People could come and go from the outside as they pleased but had to make sure they were not followed, lest the village be discovered.

Greed and darkness is present in every human heart. Ragnar knew and understood this. He was not immune to such emotions but tried to understand them. It was greed that overtook the heart of one of his villagers. The man in question was promised a life of luxury if he would show the exact location of Ragnar's underground village. It was one of the wealthy business men, named Jiro, looking to kill and take over everything Ragnar had. Unfortunately he succeeded. Sending waves of ANBU and skilled ninja, they raided the underground village and murdered everyone in sight. Once they found Ragnar, they murdered his wife in front of him. He put up a good fight but refused to use his most powerful attack that had saved his life so long ago. He thought his people were still alive and did not want to cause their death by using 'Earthquake.' If he did, he would be burying everyone alive and he refused to murder innocent people. He died at the hands of an ANBU taking orders from Jiro, who paid for Ragnar's murder. Ragnar was beheaded.

Ragnar's daughter Misa, was about 32 when this happened. She had a six year old daughter named Sigyn with a wealthy man. The man, once he found out Misa was pregnant, left her for another wealthy woman and Misa was devastated. Hating the child within her, Misa begged her mother and father to be able to get rid of the child. Ragnar forbid it and he kept an ever watchful eye on his daughter to make sure she didn't harm the baby. Much to Misa's displeasure, she did go full term and gave birth to a little girl whom Ragnar named Sigyn, after his mother, since Misa refused to even look at the child.

Unfortunately for little Sigyn, Misa was not the loving mother Ragnar had hoped her to be. Often neglectful to the little girl, Misa was more concerned about flaunting her wealth and status than spend time with the baby. Misa had not acquired her father's kekei genkai nor did she have a desire to become a ninja. She was more interested in the rich parties and material possessions she could gather with her father's wealth.

While she was out partying, Sigyn would spend time with her grandfather. For it was she who inherited not only Ragnar's keke genkai but his natural Earth ninjutsu ability. The keke genkai being of unlimited chakra. She could, like her grandfather, absorb chakra from any living thing, including but not limited to, trees, earth, people, animals, etc.. This allowed them both to create extreme pressure and heat needed for the creation of gemstones, among other things. At such an early age the girl could do many of the jutsu's Ragnar had only begun to learn as a teen. She caught on quickly to his teachings and was determined to prove herself worthy to her grandfather. Needless to say, she was not close to her mother and had no idea of who her father was, nor did she really care. It was Ragnar and his wife Erika who Sigyn truly cared for.

When Ragnar's murder took place, Misa had begged for her life to Jiro but he laughed and ordered the ANBU to murder her as well. As a last bargaining chip, Misa used her daughter Sigyn. She told Jiro of the little girl's abilities. Sigyn could create diamonds and other precious jewels using her kekei genkai and earth jutsu combined. However, Jiro forced Misa to sign over all of Ragnar's wealth, as his only living relative other than Sigyn, it all was passed down to her. Misa agreed, thinking her life would be spared but Jiro killed her once all documents were signed. Sigyn was now in custody of Jiro as his adoptive daughter.

Jiro noticed Sigyn had exceptional talent when it came to Earth jutsu and just as Misa had said, the girl could generate diamonds and other jewels. This, he realized, was how Ragnar accumulated all his wealth. With the creating and selling of precious stones. Jiro was now one of the worlds most wealthy men. He would force Sigyn to produce gemstone after gemstone daily and if the girl would refuse or not meet her quota, she would be beaten and abused just as her grandfather, Ragnar, had been. He sparsely mentioned once to the little girl of the abuse he endured as a child. Meant as a warning to her about revealing her special talents, Sigyn was angered at her beloved grandfather's mistreatment. As a result, the girl gained a natural hatred of humans and preferred to be alone.

The three years that followed, Jiro converted the once peaceful underground village, into a thriving community for criminals and shady business dealers. It was still a place hidden from the general public but instead of the honest, hardworking people trying to forge a new life for themselves, it became a haven for black markets and unlawful commerce. There was even sex trafficking and drug dealing.

Jiro refused to let her leave the confines of her bedroom, which was more a prison cell than anything else. She was surrounded by steel and therefore could not escape. Sigyn had problems dealing with refined earth like steel and metal, she could not bend them to her will so easily, if she did try, it would require a tremendous amount of chakra. Something Jiro had deprived her of. He would only supply the girl with small amounts of certain minerals and rocks for the sole purpose of Sigyn creating gemstones for him.

He had starved her and forbade her to see the light of day. As a result, her naturally tanned skin had become pallid and sickly. Her dark hair and eyes had lost their luster. Due to the lack of hygiene, Sigyn wasn't going to pretend that she didn't smell bad. Her unkempt hair was so long it reached just below her butt. Though she kept it in a long braid. She had lost quite a bit of weight and appeared emaciated. Her attire consisted of a large baggy black T-shirt and matching pants. Made of very thin material, the girl had a hard time keeping warmth within her. Sleep was difficult, as she had no bed, resting on the hard, cold, dingy floor caused her to toss and turn all night, which resulted in dark circles around her eyes.

Sigyn was able to keep her sanity by creating 'friends' of sorts. She hid and gathered little bits and pieces of rock that were left over after creating jewels for Jiro. With those and using her earth jutsu, she could summon miniature golems. Her only form of company. Though they could not speak, they offered the girl something valuable. A sort of friendship and temporary cure to her loneliness.

In this depressing darkness, as the years passed, Sigyn learned a special ability all on her own. She could see in the darkness. Though she could not practice her earth ninjutsu, she ripped off a piece of her shirt and used it as a blindfold. When her bare skin, preferably hands and feet, touched the cold floor, she would put the blindfold on and allowed her other senses to take over. She would scan the surrounding area using her chakra like a radar, or a bat using sonar. Sigyn could pin point where objects, including people, were at any present time. There was little to nothing that restricted her. If it emitted chakra, the girl could see the object like infrared. No one knew of this but her and she had no intention of letting anyone find out. This ability, she figured, might one day help her escape this hell.

Eventually however, all the abuse, beatings, amid other intimidation tactics, had broken her down. She had come to the conclusion that she had no reason to live. Nothing to give her a willingness to keep breathing and looking forward to another day. Thinking of herself as the lowest possible thing to exist, she thought this was her fate. This was her life. Her mother didn't want her, no one tried to help her and the few people she would have contact with, treated her with hatred and disgust. How she dearly missed her grandfather. Watching his head bounce off the floor and roll down to land at her feet, was etched into her brain.

She had attempted to escape early in her capture. While her chakra was at it's peak, the night of her grandfathers execution. Her body took over and as if on pure reflex alone, she summoned a dome of earth to encase and protect her. In the darkness of her small space, she could hear the voices of Jiro and his men attempting to break into her enclosure. Sigyn knew she would run out of air soon if she did not act quickly.

Staring down at her grandfather's head, that now rested at her small feet, tears ran down her face. She stared into Ragnar's open emerald eyes and witnessed her tears splash his face. Blood seeped from his neck and trickled down to her toes. Now caked in dirt mixed with blood, she flexed them, feeling them sticky and a little stiff. She hated wearing shoes because it prevented her from feeling the earth beneath her feet. It was a bad habit her grandfather tried to break. At this time, she regretted not wearing her shoes.

She tried speaking to him but the words would not escape her lips. Her voice tried so desperately to release, to scream, but was unable to. It became a painful lump that lodged itself in her throat. Though her voice could not yell, her mind did. Screaming painfully and as loudly as possible in her brain it only caused her a severe headache and she soon realized her nose was bleeding profusely. She was unwittingly absorbing chakra from Jiro and his men. It was overwhelming her and threatening to burst within her.

At that very moment, one of Jiro's men managed to break through her protective dome but before Sigyn could react, he had taken hold of her arm and severely struck her face with the back of his hand. Her chakra disrupted and her dome crumbled around her into a pile of rubble that buried Ragnar's head beneath it. Covered in her own blood, her right cheek starting to swell and turn red, her mind now fogy due to excessive amounts of chakra within her, she stared into Jiro's glaring grey eyes.

"I think this naughty girl is on dire need of discipline." He motioned for one of his henchmen to take told of her. Slowly inching forward, he walked towards Sigyn and then crouches in front of her. He whispers, "You belong to me. You're my property. My pet. And if my little pet misbehaves, she'll be reminded of her place."

He stands and walks over to the other side of the room. Looking towards his henchmen, he gives a simple nod and they all begin to attack her. Kicking, yanking her hair tightly and striking her with closed fists, it felt like hours passed within three agonizing minutes.

She could have, should have, stolen their remaining chakra and rendered them weak enough for her to escape but she didn't. She wanted to die. She wanted to be with her grandfather. She wanted to stop hurting.

Jiro finally commands his men to stop and they do so. Sigyn was finally able to catch her breath even though it was painful. Her whole body hurt and she remained in her tight balled position on the cold floor. Too afraid to move and too afraid to relax her body. She silently watched as the blood from her nose and mouth mixed together. A pathetic whimper escaping every now and then.

All the men, including Jiro, exited the room after a moment. Sigyn lay in her fixed position for hours. Unmoving and exhausted. She was unaware of how much time exactly had passed but her blood had stopped flowing and had dried on her face.

At some point, an unknown figure picked her up roughly and forced her to stand. Silently, he led her deep through the underground city and to her current jail cell. And that is where her ordeal truly began

She had contemplated her escape a few times before. But each time the burning question in her mind was, where to go once she was out? IF she was even able to get out. She had abandoned and buried those thoughts long ago however, they had recently resurfaced.

She was used to the verbal, physical and sometimes sexual abuse brought on by Jiro. It wasn't an everyday occurrence but frequent enough that she had ceased to tremble whenever she saw him. He meant nothing to her anymore. No more rage, no more sadness and no more fear. She was just an empty shell that Jiro did with as he pleased. She was broken, for lack of a better word.

Today was just like the rest. She wasn't even sure what time it currently was. The last time she was outside was too long ago to remember. Sunlight, rain and wind was only a memory now.

"In just three years time, my son will be in the Chunin exams. Can you believe it? I know he'll make me a proud father." An unknown guard was speaking to his companion, completely forgetting Sigyn was present.

Both guards leaned on the bars of her cell door. They had become lax in their precautionary measures, since it had been far too long since Sigyn last attempted anything. Her silent footsteps went unheard by the two conversating men.

"Yeah, my little girl is excited. She parades around the house in her ninja gear showing her mother what a beautiful Kunoichi she'll become." Both men laughed delightfully at one another's stories. Both stupidly unaware of Sigyn's slow and silent approach. Her rage building, jealousy bubbling and hate growing at an alarming rate.

Sigyn slipped both arms through the metal bars of her confinement and took hold an arm of each man. What little chakra she had been storing up was concentrated on her small hands. The men abruptly stopped their conversation and jumped, startled at the unknown contact. They struggled to release themselves of Sigyn's vice grip.

As she absorbed their chakra, Sigyn whispered, "It's not fair." There was a slight pause as she grit her teeth in frustration and hissed again, "It's. Not. Fair." She glared at both men as they struggled and screamed for help. Soon however, their cries died down until it was eerily quiet. Both men were limp and their eyes still held terror in them. Sigyn shivered as her newly acquired chakra flowed through her body.

She once again concentrated the chakra on her hands and they glowed brilliantly this time. Placing both small hands on the metal bars of her confines, she was able to pry them open. Carefully stepping out of her cell, she was met with more ice cold metal beneath her feet. If she could just make it outside of the facility she was in, she was sure to hit some form of earth. Then, there would be nothing Jiro could do to stop her.

As she made her way through winding and narrow hallways, she came across two more guards blocking her way. The second they spotted her, panic raced through their minds. If Jiro found out his little pet was out of its cage, they'd be dead for sure. Sigyn only stared at them without a single word. Her mind was racing as to how to proceed.

"How did you get out?!" One guard shouted at her. Sigyn continue to stay silent and unmoving.

"Damit! Just grab her and lock her up before the boss finds out!" The other guard shouted to his companion. The first guard nodded and ran at Sigyn. She had not moved a single inch and allowed the guard to roughly grab her arm. As soon as he did so however, Sigyn, with her free arm, gripped the guards arm that was holding her. She immediately began absorbing his chakra but before he hit the ground limply, Sigyn concentrated her newly acquired chakra in both her small hands. She was the one who gripped the man's arm now and with a quick squeeze of her hands, broke the guards arm in half right below the elbow. The man screamed in agony as he saw his right arm now dangling limply at his side.

"Oh shit, oh shit, I don't get pain enough for this!" The other guard took off leaving his friend alone and defenseless.

"You fucking coward! Help me!" The first guard screamed at his running companion to no avail.

"It's ok." Sigyn quietly bent down next to the terrified guard. "It'll be over soon." With that, she absorbed any remaining chakra the man had and she placed her small hands around his neck. "Thank you." She whispered and stared into the terrified eyes of the guard. She squeezed his neck with her hands glowing with chakra and snapped it. Dusting herself off, she continued to make her way around the winding hallways of her confines.

Not too long after her fresh kill, Sigyn encountered a few more guards that she quickly disposed of and absorbed their chakra. She was reaching her maximum capacity of chakra reserves. She could feel it. The slight headache that was forming and her blood rushing to her face. She could at most absorbed one more person and reach her limit. With a bit of luck, Sigyn finally made her way to two large double doors.

Taking a deep breath and gathering as much courage as she could muster, the girl kicked in the door with some chakra concentrated in her feet. Both doors fell, unhinged and creating a thunderous noise. Jiro was in the middle of a business meeting with some men Sigyn deemed to be shady entrepreneurs. Lucky for her, it seemed this room was made of granite, marble and some metal here and there. Granite and marble she could work with easily.

"What the hell?!" Jiro turned to face her. Leering at her he continued, "Who let you out of your cage, worm?" Sigyn said nothing and only glared at him with hatred and rage.

"What kind of game are you playing Jiro?!" One of the men, clearly irritated, asked.

"I don't know what kind of show she's trying to put but it ends now." Jiro motioned to some henchmen behind him and pointed to the girl. "Get her the hell out of here and fix those doors!"

In a split second Sigyn slammed her thin, bony, right hand down to the marble floor and whispered, "Earth release, Golem!" Medium sized golems materialized from the floor and quickly captured every person in the room. With a sort of bear hug-type hold, the golems were keeping everyone in place.

"My grandfather always told me to be a good girl. To always be kind to others. Sympathy and understanding are key to living an honest life." Jiro looked at the girl in horror and anger but was not allowed to speak, thanks to his golem placing a marble hand over his mouth. "He said that no matter what happens, no matter how bad things may become, never give into evil. Never give into the demon that lurks within the human heart." Sigyn formed a few hand signs and stared Jiro straight into his eyes. "Look at me." She took a step closer to the man. "LOOK UPON THE DEMON YOU CREATED!" She screamed and Jiro flinched. "You took everything from me. Locked me up and tortured me. Now you will die at the hands of your monster. Earth release, earthquake magnitude five." She snapped her fingers and the earth began to shake.

Almost immediately, the ground beneath their feet started to rumble and vibrate. Jiro's muffled screams were drowned out by the roar of falling boulders and crumbling city walls. People down in the city started to flee for safety but Sigyn had scanned the whole area with her chakra and sealed off the exits with boulders and rubble. She would have them all suffer as she did. Giving into her darkest desires, she would murder every man, woman and child without empathy. No one cared about her, no one tried to help her knowing she was a salve and a prisoner. Why should she spare them?

The girl commanded one of the golems to force Jiro down to the floor. She walked up to him and whispered in his ear,"Your city will die but you, I'm not done with you just yet." Then, placing a hand on a nearby wall, she melded within the earth.

Sigyn could easily climb out onto the surface using a tunnel system. This was nothing for her. Ragnar and Sigyn would play hide-n-seek this way. He would create elaborate underground passages for the girl to follow him through and find him. Getting out and avoiding the devastation of the city would be no problem. Sigyn's marble golem held on tightly to Jiro and followed behind the girl as she began to tunnel out.

Easily making her way out to the surface, Sigyn could feel the vibrations of the underground earthquake. She had yet to be able to master the technique and knew if she didn't reach the outside soon, the earth would swallow her too. However, she finally broke through the last bit of rock and the girl poked her head out like a groundhog. She was immediately welcomed with rain pouring down on her head. The girl quickly climbed out onto the solid surface with her golem still holding onto Jiro following right behind her. She turned around to see what was left of her once home and prison. An incredibly large sinkhole had formed, at least a three to five mile radius, possibly more. Sigyn had just made it out of the impact area in time.

The rain, it seemed, would last a while. Hopefully, it would rain long enough to fill the sinkhole, that resembled a meteor impact, and transform it into a lake. Her transgression could then be hidden from the world and only she would know of its existence. Sigyn turned around to face Jiro, who's mouth was still covered by the golems marble hand.

Sigyn concentrated some chakra in her small hands. She quickly made a few hand seals and a column of earth formed underneath her feet. It elevated her so that she was at eye level with the tall man. "I'll leave something for your children to find." She softly spoke. Her golem, sensing her intentions, removed it's hand from Jiro's mouth so he could reply.

"Don't kill me! I'll give you whatever you want!" He tried wiggling his way out of the golems grip but it was futile.  
"I want your life. I want your children's lives. I just wish I was here to see them suffer and scream when they see your dead body." She replied through gritted teeth.

"You little bitch!" Jiro screamed. "If you kill me, my children will hunt you down like the dog you are!"

"And when they come, I'll welcome them with open arms." She placed her small hands over Jiro's ears, covering them. The chakra concentrated in both her small hands began to create pressure equivalent to when she makes diamonds. Jiro screamed and screamed until his voice gave out. Sigyn had applied such immense pressure on the mans head, it exploded. One of his eyeballs had popped out and landed at the base of her golems feet.

The golem had released Jiro's body, which fell with a loud 'thump' on the cold, hard ground. Sigyn hopped off her little platform and dismissed her golem. Her chakra had depleted and she could no longer keep her companion with her. She sighed. A sense of relief had washed over her. Now soaking wet to the bone, the girl began to shiver. A light breeze had brought her back from her deep thoughts and now she fully realized she was out. She was no longer a prisoner in that underground hell and her monstrous captor was dead.

The girl could smell the wet earth and feel the water making her skin slick and creating goosebumps. Looking down at her bare, dirty feet, she could see the dark green grass tickling her skin as it swayed back and forth in the wind. It was dark out, the moon shining brilliantly and casting soft light all around her but Sigyn had no idea what time it was. Locked up for so long, unable to see the light of day, she soon lost track of all sense of time. She was fully awake, whether it was the adrenaline coursing through her veins, or her sleep schedule messed up, the girl was by no means sleepy.

She took deep breaths, trying to calm herself. Her earthquake technique and the last bit of chakra she used to kill Jiro, took all her chakra and she was out of breath. Feeling tired, a headache started to form and weak from her malnutrition, panic now started to set in. Looking in all directions, all she saw were trees, boulders and grass. No signs of people. The girl could have used her chakra to double check for any signs of life but wanted to conserve what little energy she had left.

Sigyn knew if she didn't find shelter soon, she would freeze. This isn't how she wanted to die. In all honesty, she hadn't thought of a clear plan. Perhaps subconsciously she didn't think she would make it this far. 'I need warmth,' She thought. It was then that she heard some rustling a few feet in front of her. Startled, Sigyn took a defensive stance. Inwardly she prayed she didn't have to fight, for she didn't have the energy to do so. Sigyn had hoped the commotion from the earthquake had not attracted on lookers but it seemed it had.

Out from behind a tree came a tall man. She couldn't see very well in the darkness but could tell he had dark hair and dark eyes. He wore a strange headband that covered the sides of his face and the girl could make out he was from Konoha. Thankfully, Ragnar had taught the girl about the neighboring villages so she recognized the leaf symbol. He wore, what she thought to be, standard ninja attire. To her, he didn't look menacing but one could never be too careful. The man stared at her for a moment before taking a step closer.

"Don't move!" Sigyn called out to him. "Don't move any closer or I'll kill you!" She threatened. The girl knew she wouldn't stand a chance if he attacked. However, she thought if she seemed scary enough, maybe he would leave her alone. Her scary, yeah right, still, at least she tried. He didn't say anything though he stopped moving. Tilting his head slightly to the right, he stared at her, eyes unblinking. A solemn expression evident on his handsome features.

Without warning, the girl felt a wave of lightheadedness hit. Her defensive stance wavered. She tried regaining her posture but failed. Before she knew it, everything went dark and she fell. The last thing she remembered was the sound of footsteps nearing and stopping beside her. The rain hitting her face violently trying to drown her and then someone lifting her up gently.


	2. Chapter 2

When Sigyn woke, she found herself surround by an unfamiliar setting. It was a well furnished home and by the looks of it, made of wood. Not a house but more a cabin. Nothing too fancy, it had a pleasantly comfortable and cozy aura. She was sitting up in a bed she didn't recognize and was taking in her surroundings when the nearby door creaked open.

Her head immediately turned to the sound and there, at the entrance, stood the same man she saw before blacking out. Sigyn remained silent but observed the man cautiously. She was afraid of breathing in too deeply and arousing hostility from said man. However, he stood there, just staring at her for a moment before speaking.

"Glad to see you're up." He closed the door behind him and walked over to a small table in the corner of the cabin. Placing a bag down, he turned to look at her once more. She hadn't moved, still eyeing him carefully. "You've been asleep for three days. For a second, I thought you might be dead." He walked over to the girl and she flinched back.

Sighing, he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. Names Yamato." He extended his hand to her for a handshake but she just stared at him. Yamato could tell she was frightened so he backed up a few steps. "Whenever you're ready to tell me what happened to you, I'll be here."

Sigyn clutched the bed sheets tightly. She was thinking of weather to tell him or not. He was a stranger. How was she supposed to know whether or not he would hurt her? Or worse, imprison her like Jiro had. She tried to form words. To tell him to let her go. She would figure something out on her own but the words never escaped her lips. They formed but could not go past her throat.

"Well you look rather malnourished." Yamato was now over by a small kitchen next to the dinning table. "If you try to escape, so be it but you wont get far in your current state." He started making something in a pan that Sigyn couldn't make out. Whatever it was, started sizzling and the smell was heavenly. "I won't keep you here against your will." He was stirring now. "But if you'd like to stay here, you'll have to eventually tell me what happened to you."

Sigyn contemplated this for a moment. She was still unsure if he was trust worthy. The girl hadn't met anyone, other than Ragnar and his wife Erika of being so. Her grandfather had warned her never to reveal her talents to anyone, for they might take advantage of her. She was so afraid and nervous. She wanted to trust him. She wanted someone to confide in but was so terrified of the repercussions it might cause. Tired of being alone, the girl just wanted one person she could connect with.

Yamato finished cooking and made his way over to the girl. Sitting at her bedside he showed her the plate of food he just made. It was stir fried veggies and beef. Simple yet smelled wonderful. The girls stomach growled indicating the hunger she tried to suppress.

"It's not poisoned, I promise." He smiled softly at her. This time, she was able to get a good look at him. His hair was a dark brown and eyes seemed scary but reminded her of Ragnar. Dark eyes hiding kindness. She stared at him without a word. Sighing once more, Yamato took a bite of the stir fry, chewed and swallowed. "There. See?" He offered her the plate once more and she greedily took it. Sigyn scarfed down the plate in two minutes flat, nearly choking at one point. Yamato chuckled and offered her a glass of water, which she took at once.

"Tomorrow, we'll go to town and get you some proper clothes, have you meet the Hokage and see what we can do with you. Does that sound reasonable?" At the mention of the Hokage, Sigyn's ears perked up. She remembered her grandfather speaking of the Hokage many times. They were good friends. Finally, someone she could trust. If Ragnar trusted him with his secrets then perhaps she could too. She nodded a 'yes' to Yamato and he smiled once more.

"Good. For now try to get some more rest and we'll leave first thing in the morning."

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The walk to Konoha, very early in the morning, was mostly silent and short lived. The village was only a few hours away from Yamatos' cabin. Sigyn refused to speak and Yamato figured it was best to stop pestering her. When she wanted to, she'd talk. Finally reaching the village, Sigyn took a step back and stared up at the two large, closed doors. She'd never seen anything like it. Anxiety started to build within her and Yamato placed a hand gently on her shoulder.

"Don't be nervous." He smiled softly at her. She was begining to like that smile, though she wouldn't admit it. The girl gave him a curt nod and stared back at the doors. Yamato walked up to them and knocked. They slowly opened just enough for another man to peek his head through.

"Yamato! You're back early." The man greeted and let them both through. Sigyn was overflowing with anxiety and with an unanticipated gesture, she clung onto Yamatos' arm. He was surprised at her sudden contact with him but relaxed a moment after. She was afraid, he could tell and so decided to let her do whatever eased her.

The two men guarding the gate gave Yamato a strange stare, as if to ask who she was. He merely smiled and said, "It's alright, she's with me." Both men looked at each other briefly and shrugged. Sigyn continued to hold onto him tightly.

As they walked through the village, Sigyn kept staring in awe at the tall buildings, their architecture fascinating her. She'd never seen anything like it before. Trees, it seemed, were Incorporated into peoples homes and it was beautiful.

"You like it?" Yamato continued to look forward but could see the girl in his peripheral vision. She took a quick glance at him and nodded 'yes.' "Good, I'm glad." They walked for a few minutes before the male stopped in front of a clothing store. "Alright, let's get you some proper clothes."

Sigyn released his arm and finally spoke. "No." Her voice was soft and sweet but hardly audible.

"Ah, so she can speak." Yamato teased and the girl frowned at him. "Why not then?"

"I don't... I don't want you spending money on me." She was staring down at her bare feet. They were dirty and she tried to hide her toes.

"If it makes you feel better, you can pay me back when you're able." He opened the door and held it open for her, as a gesture for the girl to walk in. She stared for a moment before deciding that was an acceptable compromise.

It didn't take long for the girl to chose seven outfits and four pairs of shoes. Two sets of pajamas, three sets of regular clothes and two sets of ninja attire that Yamato insisted she would need. She acquired two pairs of sneakers and two pairs of closed ninja sandals. It goes without saying, the final total was more than the ANBU ninja was expecting. He asked the girl to change into one of her outfits so she was presentable when she met the Hokage. The girl quickly ran into the changing room and came back out wearing a pair of black jeans, a simple blood red t-shirt and her new pair matching red sneakers. Once everything was paid for, Yamato grabbed the bags and carried them for the girl. She opposed to his kindness but he ignored her.

A few more minutes of walking and admiring buildings, Yamato glanced down at the girl and realized her hair was in a rather messy, long, side braid. "Would you be opposed to a haircut?" He asked nonchalantly. Sigyn subconsciously started playing with her braid. It's true that her hair had become rather unruly. It was thin and coarse with the ends splitting badly.

"I really need one." She whispered more to herself than a reply to his question. Yamato nodded and brought her to a local hair dresser. The girl undid her braid before sitting and Yamato realized her hair was longer than he thought. The girl spoke with the woman who would be cutting her hair and asked for a shoulder length cut. Nodding, the woman proceeded with the styling.

About an hour in, the transformation was done. Sigyn appeared more presentable now. Her hair, it seemed, was rather curly. It looked a little shorter than what it was due to the curls scrunching up a bit. Still, it just hit her shoulders in elegant waves and curls. Her dark hair still needed to regain it's luster and flair but that would be achieved once the girl had a better diet.

Sigyns' eyes were more pronounced now. They shone like emeralds in the sun with a soft touch of brown. Very earthy Yamato thought. He could also tell her spirits were lifting if only for a bit. She wasn't hunched over and staring at her feet as much as before. She had relaxed a bit and was actually speaking to him.

"After speaking with the Hokage, what do you say we grab some lunch?" Sigyn nodded eagerly. There was no point in hiding she was hungry. About twenty minutes after the hairdresser, they finally reached the Hokage's office. Anxiety once again crawling its way into Sigyn. The girl was holding onto her arm in an attempt to ease her nerves.

"I'll be with you the whole time, I promise." Yamato reassured her. Sigyn stared up at him for a moment before replying with an 'ok.' Making their way inside, they were greeted with other ninja who directed them up to the Hokage's office. Knocking loudly, they heard someone say 'come in' from the other side of the heavy double doors.

There was a tall old man dressed in red and white robes. He was standing in front of a large window overlooking a monument. When he turned to greet the pair, Sigyn noticed he was smoking a pipe. He had a kind face she thought. Taking his seat at his desk, he asked, "This is the girl you mentioned?" He was looking at Yamato.

"Yes. As I stated, I found her near the crater zone. Thankfully unharmed by the earthquake."

At that statement, the girl became extremely nervous. Yamato knew it was an earthquake that had created the huge hole in the earth. He never brought it up at any time she was with him. Her hands started to sweat in fear and she was feeling queasy. She wanted to get out of here. Dreading they would imprison her once they figured out she was the cause of the earthquake, she needed to escape this place. The girl took a rather large gulp of spit that formed in her mouth and the hokage noticed.

"It's alright child, you're safe here." He stared at her for a moment before continuing. "If my hunch is correct, you're Ragnar Berg's granddaughter yes?"

Her heart skipped a beat. He knew her grandfather. That meant that the stories Ragnar told her about him were true. He was trustworthy and Sigyn was able to relax. She nodded and stared back at the old man.

"Sigyn right? Ragnar has told me much about you. How is he by the way? It's been a long time since I last saw him." At that, the girls' eyes began swelling with tears. She didn't want to cry but the memories of what happened came flooding in quickly.

It was about an hour that the girl spilled her story to the hokage. How they imprisoned her, killed ragnar, her mother not wanting her etc. Yamato stayed for her story, out of curiosity and to offer support. He thought, perhaps, his presence there would ease her into divulging information. As he listened to the girls' ordeal, he could feel his heart twist in pain for her. She had suffered a great deal, perhaps more than she led on and yet she tried to keep a strong front.

The hokage was intently listening to Sigyn as well. The last time he saw his old friend Ragnar, they had left on good terms. He was sure he would see him again soon but the day never came. The hokage remembered how fondly Ragnar spoke of his granddaughter. About her powers and abilities. Ragnar was afraid the girl would be exploited just as he had been and unfortunately it happened. Guilt resided within him. He should have checked on his old friend, made sure that he was ok after the several attempts to reach him failed. Now, because of his negligence, he died and his granddaughter suffered a great deal.

Sigyn was silent for a moment before continuing. Should she tell them what she did? How she escaped? Would she be imprisoned for life? Her heart sped up and her stomach twisted and churned with anxiety. Before she could decide, the hokage spoke.

"Whatever is troubling you, you can tell me. Rest assured your secrets are safe with Yamato and I. We want to help you as much as we are able." His kind words gave the girl the courage she needed to share the last bit of information.

Hesitating a moment, the girl told them how she managed to escape. What she did to the two guards watching over her and how she used the forbidden technique. She told them everything up to the point where Yamato found her. Her eyes were cast down, unable to meet their gaze out of shame and remorse.

Sighing heavily, the hokage stood from his chair and stared out a window overlooking the village. His back to Yamato and the girl, he was in deep thought. A few minutes later, he cleared his throat and turned to Sigyn. "If it's alright with you, I shall appoint Yamato as your legal guardian. He will train you in the ninja arts and if and when he feels you are ready, you can take the chunin exams. He will provide everything you need and if you ever want someone to confined in, you are always welcome to speak with me."

Yamato shot the hokage a look of uncertainty but would direct his questions once Sigyn was out of the room. The girl thought about his offer for a moment. She had nowhere to go to. No family she could stay with. Yamato didn't seem so bad and if anything ever happened, she could go to the hokage. Besides, what was she to do? She had no real goal of becoming anything special. Perhaps being a ninja wouldn't be so bad. Who knows, perhaps soon she could be on her own and wouldn't need to rely on anyone. That and, she needed to pay Yamato back for the things he bought her.

Shyly she replied, "Ok. Thank you." Her soft voice was hardly audible. The hokage smiled warmly at her.

"Why don't you have a seat outside while Yamato and I get the paperwork needed for your adoption. It won't take long." The hokage opened the door for the girl and she walked through. She sat right outside his office in front of his Secretary's desk. "It will only take a minute alright?" The girl nodded a 'yes' and the hokage stepped back into his office.

Once the door was closed, Yamato began to protest being the girls legal guardian. He wasn't suited to take care of a child. He was Anbu. A very busy man living a dangerous life. How was he best suited to take care of her? Perhaps Iruka could take her just as he did with Naruto. However, the hokage stated the opposite.

Hokage Sarutobi stared into Yamato's dark eyes. "She is an earth user Yamato. Her grandfather was one of the greatest earth justsu users to have even been born. His blood runs in her veins and she is capable of using the earthquake technique at such a young age. After everything she has been through, I'm surprised she hasn't killed more people other than the ones who hurt her. The girls chakra is unstable and she will need the expertise of an Anbu to look after her. Besides, Iruka has his hands full with Naruto. Putting this girl under his care would put him over the edge. I have complete trust in you. Teach her to use her jutsu, to keep it under control. I owe it to Ragnar to look after his granddaughter. If you ever need assistance with her or if you really believe you can't handle it, then return and I will find someone else to look after her."

Yamato let out a long sigh. He didn't believe he was suited to care for a child. He'd much rather take on a triple S ranked mission than do this. However, the hokage insisted and gave him this mission. Who was he to say no? Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. She seemed to have better manners than Naruto and had a mild temperament. So Yamato agreed to take this child under his care. As soon as he exited the hokages office, Sigyn stood up. "The paperwork is signed and sealed. You're officially my daughter. So how about we discuss this further over some barbecue?"


	3. Chapter 3

I'm sorry if the story feels like it's moving too fast. Originally this was supposed to be a one-shot but I wanted to extend it a little bit. Finally Sigyn meets Gaara and things from now on will be concentrated around them building up their relationship.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Yamato kept his promise and took the girl out to eat barbecue. He inwardly laughed at how eager she was to start eating. The sizzling of the food made her drool and he thought it was rather cute, though he'd never admit it. Over lunch they spoke of many things. Yamato gave the girl standard rules like not staying up too late and helping clean the house. She would be enrolled into Konohas' academy and Yamato expected good grades. Sigyn thought all this was pretty normal and doable. It was the least she could do for everything he's already done for her.  
"And no boys!" Yamato suddenly stated and the girl nearly choked on some beef she was chewing on.

She drank some water to wash the food down and replied, "Don't worry about that, trust me. I have no intention on doing anything with boys. I have other things to focus on." She placed some beef on the grill and watched it sizzle.

"Like what?" Yamato also placed some beef to cook.

"Like learning to control my chakra." Sigyn mumbled. Yamato chuckled and nodded in agreement.

Yamato had gone off on another secret mission. He had stocked their home well for Sigyn to be left alone for up to 3 months however, he was sure his mission would only take about 2 weeks. Still, better safe than sorry. Yamato had shown Sigyn Konoha in great detail. She was familiar with the surrounding forest, all the best places to have lunch at, all of Konoha's shops, schools and the local playground.

He had briefly introduced Sigyn to Naruto one day while at the Hokage's office. Yamato was giving the Hokage his latest reports. One on his recent mission and an update report on how Sigyn was adapting. While in the waiting room, Sigyn noticed a small blond boy sitting anxiously on a chair across from her. He was very fidgety and the girl couldn't help but stare. The blond boy had looked up just in time to catch her staring and Sigyn became red with embarrassment of being caught. She quickly turned away from him without a word. The boy thought that was a little rude but said nothing. He went back to fidgeting with his hands. He was anxious about what punishment the Hokage would instill this time around due to his most recent prank.

A moment later, Yamato came out from the Hokage's office and noticed the blond boy look up at him. Yamato smiled and turned his gaze over to Sigyn. "This is Naruto." Yamato spoke to the girl.

Sigyn's gaze turned to the blond boy and she very shyly replied with a 'hello.' Naruto became red. A pretty girl was giving him attention. That was rare. With his signature smile, he replied 'hello' back to her and she smiled politely back at him. All in all it was a rather awkward exchange. As though a spark had lit up the blond boys brain, he jumped up from his seat and inquired to Yamato how he knew his name. Yamato replied that everyone in the village knew of Konoha's prankster. With what Sigyn thought was odd pride, Naruto puffed out his chest and gave them both a thumbs up. At that moment, before the boy could say anything, the Hokage stood in front of his opened office door and motioned for the blond boy to enter. Naruto seemed to have lost that pride he had gained and hung his head low. He entered the office and the Hokage smiled warmly at Sigyn.

"You keep out of trouble young lady." The Hokage kindly warned her.

She nodded and softly replied, "Yes sir." The Hokage let out a small chuckle and bid Yamato and Sigyn a farewell. The girl tried to peer inside the Hokage's office for one last, quick look at Naruto but was unable to.

"Don't worry, you two will become properly acquainted soon, I'm sure of it." Yamato offered Sigyn his hand to hold and she softly took it. She would never admit it to anyone but holding onto Yamato's hand was one of her favorite things to do. It sounded odd when she finally acknowledged it to herself. However, every time she held onto him, she felt safe. She felt loved. She wanted to hug him but was far too shy to do so.

About a week later, Yamato's most recent mission had come in and he had gone shopping to leave Sigyn well stocked while away. Sigyn wished him the best of luck and made him promise to return in one piece. Yamato made her promise to try and make some friends while he was away, to which she reluctantly promised. It had been a couple of days of Sigyn just staying cooped up in Yamato and her home. She would draw, paint, read and summon golems for company until she got bored.

Deciding today was as good as any, the girl made her way to the local playground. There were a bunch of kids running around laughing, giggling and playing all sorts of games with each other. She was too shy to introduce herself to them and briefly took in her surroundings. Perhaps she could use the swings for a moment and hopefully, one of the kids would approach her to befriend her.

As she made her way to the swings, she noticed a lone boy swinging slowly and mindlessly. Her curiosity piqued when she noticed the boy wearing the same orange jacket as the blond boy she met about a week ago. Carefully making her way to the lonely swing next to him, she sat down softly and began to slowly swing. The boy quickly brought his head up and smiled when he recognized her.

"Hey! You're the girl I saw at the Hokage's office! I hope the old man went easy on ya. What were you in for anyway?" Naruto began to swing a little faster to match Sigyn's pace.

"Oh, I wasn't in trouble. I was just there with my dad. He was giving his report on a mission to the Hokage." She replied.

Sigyn noticed the boy become sad again and he replied with an 'oh'. She jumped off the swing and stood before the blond boy. Naruto quickly brought his swing to a stop before he accidently kicked her. Sigyn smiled softly at him and extended her hand out to him. "I'm Sigyn. Naruto right?" She was blushing furiously. This took a lot of courage for her to do. Her heart thumped painfully in her chest. She was afraid he would reject her.

Suddenly, Naruto hopped off his swing and took her hand. He shook it a little too eagerly but Sigyn didn't mind. "Yeah that's right!" He cheered up quickly.

Sigyn took her seat at the swing next to Naruto's once more and slowly began to swing again. Naruto followed suit. Before Sigyn or Naruto could strike up a conversation, a red ball came flying out of nowhere and almost hit the blond boy in the face. Before that happened however, a solid pillar of earth shot up in front of Naruto and blocked the ball from hurting him. Then, as suddenly as it shot up from the ground, it had retreated back to the flat earth beneath their feet.

The boy who had thrown the ball came running up to the pair. "Hey that was pretty cool. What's your name girl?' He addressed Sigyn.

With a frown and some caution she replied curtly, "Sigyn."

"Well Sigyn, wanna ditch the monster and come play with us?" He smirked and Sigyn suddenly had the urge to slam this boys face into the dirt.

"The only monster here is you. Beat it, before I bury you alive under this park." Sigyn hissed at the boy. He was taken aback but then glared at her.

"Whatever, freak. You two are made for each other." He mumbled and grabbed the red ball and returned to his friends.

Naruto stared in awe at Sigyn. No one had ever stood up for him before. Especially not a girl. "Y-you didn't have to do that." Naruto couldn't meet her gaze. The sadness had washed over him once again and he clung onto the swing handles tightly.

"I don't know why he called you a monster and I don't really care but I like you Naruto. You seem really nice and I hope we can be friends." She wouldn't look at him and in fact had turned away from the blond. Her face was red and she was questioning herself for what she did and said. Had she made the right choice? Or would she regret this later? He seemed so lonely and sad she wanted to help him. When that boy said that about the blond, she immediately felt anger and rage against him. She was very serious about burying him alive.

"Well I like you too Sigyn. We'll be the best of friends." He smiled warmly and brightly at her. Sigyn was now staring at him. His bright blue eyes piercing like the many Sapphires she had created. Her heart leaped with joy. She had made her first friend. She couldn't wait to tell her father she had kept her promise to him.

The next three years went flying by. The chunin exams would be held in a couple of days and Sigyn was twelve years old now. In the time she attended the Konoha academy, the girl and Naruto became rather close. She saw him as the big brother she always wanted. He protected her to the best of his abilities, though the girl didn't need it. However, she loved him so much that she acted helpless to make the blond feel empowered when he protected her. Thankfully, Naruto loved the girl as his little sister and would do anything to make her smile. The blond connected with her almost instantly after learning she was an orphan like him. She briefly mentioned to him about her imprisonment by Jiro but didn't give much detail. She didn't want anyone knowing of her ability to create diamonds. She didn't want Naruto to suffer because of her.

Sigyn absolutely hated Sakura and Sasuke. Ino was ok at best, Hinata was a close friend, she got along pretty well with the boys, especially Lee. The girl had great admiration for the taijutsu user, especially since he couldn't use ninjutsu. However, when it came to Sakura and Sasuke, Sigyn hated them with a passion. The girl found Sakura annoying and she was disgusted on how she swooned over Sasuke. Ino did as well but for whatever reason, wasn't nearly as annoyed with her as she was with Sakura. The number one thing Sigyn hated about the pinkette though, was her relentless teasing and awful attitude towards her dear blond brother. Whenever Sakura was mean to Naruto, Sigyn immediately came to his defense. The two girls had gotten into some nasty fights with Sigyn, fortunately, always coming out on top.

As far as Sasuke, Sigyn hated his pompous attitude. His treatment of Naruto also added to that loathing and the girl couldn't understand why the blond continued to pursue a friendship with that emo brat. Sasuke wasn't very fond of Sigyn either, so they always butted heads. For the most part, Sigyn and Sasuke stayed clear of each other with only the occasional snarky remark muttered under their breaths.

Now, Sigyn was considered a special ninjutsu user. Her potential to control the earth and bend it to her will was impressive and because of it, she was placed in a three-man team with two other children similar to herself. Their sensei was Yamato, who, even though Sigyn was his adoptive daughter, didn't treat her any more special than the others. Even before the chunin exams were to be held, Yamato introduced her to the other two and they trained together frequently. They got along well with each other and Sigyn trusted them enough to tell them of her special abilities. The two were impressed and promised to never reveal anything about the girl, especially after learning about her past.

Kain Takizawa, who could use a combination of fire jutsu and katanas was the groups leader. He had pitch black hair styled in a short mohawk with the sides slightly shaved, he was slim yet toned, was 13 years old and stood at about 5 feet 4 inches tall. Kain had tanned skin like Sigyns and beautiful amber eyes. He wore typical ANBU attire, though instead of the shirt and pants being grey, they were black with the chest plate a very dark grey and no face mask. He was always serious and rarely smiled. Kain and Sasuke were in a constant battle to see who was the better ninja. Usually, if Sasuke wasn't available to gawk over, Kain was the girls next target. Sigyn thought Kain was a little less haughty than Sasuke and therefore more tolerable.

Satori Takizawa was the third member of their group and Kains younger sister. She was 5 feet 2 inches tall, long blond hair that was to her mid-back. She too had tan skin but paler than Sigyn and Kain. She had stormy grey eyes and was quite the beauty at her young age. She had captured the hearts of all the boys in Konoha, except maybe Sasuke. She wore the same ANBU outfit as her brother and Sigyn and was a water and senbon user. All the girls in the village absolutely hated Satori due to her unique beauty. Everyone thought she was vain and condescending but they couldn't be more wrong. Satori was actually rather kind and humble. A lot of the times she thought her beauty was a burden or curse however, she wasn't a pushover. Whenever the Konoha girls tried to make fun of her, she was quick with her witty remarks and therefore earned her reputation as a snooty girl. Sigyn got along rather well with the 12 year old blond goddess and they formed a tight friendship.

Sigyn remained relatively the same. She was now 5 feet even and her hair was in a curly braid that went a little past her shoulders. Thanks to Yamatos guidance the girl learned many new earth jutsu's and was able to keep her chakra under control. He taught her how to properly release the pent up chakra she was holding without blowing things up. On a few occasions she had wanted to call him father or papa but at the last second she chickened out. Sigyn thought perhaps he would think her strange and didn't want to ruin their relationship, though she loved him like a parent.  
The days leading up to the chunin exams were fairly uneventful. Sigyn and her team were training as usual in an isolated part of Konoha's forest. Kain, the perfectionist, wanted everyone's jutsu to be on point. He had Satori practicing her aim with her senbon and Sigyn performing different degrees of thickness on her protective domes. He was slashing away at some of Sigyns golems for target practice with his katana.

"Alright, I think that's it. We're ready." Kain sheathed his blade and let out a long sigh.

"Oh relax darlin', we'll pass that exam with flying colors." Satori smiled warmly at her brother.

"Yeah, all I can think of now is sleep." Sigyn stretched her legs and arms while letting out a yawn. The sun was setting and she needed to get home soon before Yamato got worried.  
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-Five days later.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-  
The first time they met wasn't the most ideal. It was during the chunin exams in the forest of death. Sigyn and her team had quickly acquired both scrolls and were making their way to the tower when unfortunately, they came across Gaara and his siblings. Sigyn had gone to a nearby river to fetch some water when she heard Satori's scream. Sensing three other unknown chakra, she hid herself beneath the earth and tunneled her way back to them.

Satori writhed in pain as Gaara's sand twisted and tightened around her left leg and lifting her off the ground. Kain struggled against the red-head's suffocating sand that now enveloped his whole body, except his head. This demonic child showed no emotion and no hesitation as he slowly crushed his enemies to death. In his mind, these were just two more blood bags for his sand.

Without warning, a hand gripped Gaara's foot from within the earth, right under him, much to his surprise. It startled him enough that he momentarily released the other two ninja from their sand prison. The hand tried to pull the red-head into the earth, as if to swallow him whole, but his sand went to attack. The hand quickly disappeared within the earth once more and Gaara's attention was diverted back to the other two ninja.

A brief moment later, a girl popped out from within the earth, comparable to a jack rabbit. As Gaara observed her, his heart did a quick leap. Something he had felt only once when he was a young child. His teal eyes found their way to her rosy pink lips that were formed in a scowl towards him. In the back of his mind he could hear Shukaku chuckling low, it annoyed him.

"You guys ok?" Her voice was soft and low. She didn't turn to look over at her team, doing so would leave her exposed to an attack.

"I think he shattered my ankle!" Satori cried. Kain violently struggled to catch his breath but muttered a 'yes' to the girl facing the demon.

"Take one step closer and I'll kill you." Sigyn's eyes glared intently at the red-head.

Gaara only narrowed his eyes at her to match her fierce gaze. "Why?" He spoke in his usual raspy voice. The girl stared in confusion but remained silent. "Why are you protecting weaklings like them?" He finally asked.

"They're my teammates. My friends. And far from weaklings." She replied in her soft voice. Her glare never wavering.

"Are you not afraid of me? Afraid I will kill you to get to them?" He took a step closer to the girl but she formed a few hand symbols and slammed her open palm to the ground.

"Earth dome!" She yelled out. A sudden shifting of the earth beneath their feet grabbed the red-head's attention. The earth altered and shot out from the ground under Satori and Kain. It came together to form a protective dome around them. This was one of Sigyn's signature moves. She was more practiced in the defensive arts than offensive. Both ninjas knew this was their chance to quickly heal up enough to run away. "I would give my life if that's what it took to save them." She did not flinch or hesitate under Gaara's powerful stare.

His sand angrily shifted and moved around him, readying for an attack. Footsteps were heard in the distance that were becoming louder and louder with each passing moment. Sigyn and Gaara were at a temporary stalemate. He was studying her. What she said to him, about giving up her life, struck a chord within him. He didn't understand why she would say that but wanted to. Kankuro and Temari were at his side in a matter of minutes and took defensive stances.

"Are you going to kill them Gaara?" Kankuro asked while he removed his puppet from his back and set it down.

Sigyn remained silent. She was trying to think of a way to safely relocate her team so they could heal and rest. If she died here, this Gaara would only go after them once her protective dome disappeared.

"We have both scrolls, if you're going to kill them, do it now. We're wasting time." Temari had her arms crossed over her chest with an annoyed look on her face.

Sigyn panicked inside but tried to not let it show. All that mattered was Satori and Kain. She wouldn't let them down. She refused to allow her fear escape. She couldn't show weakness at a time like this.

The sand abruptly started seeping back into the red-head's gourd. "Don't tell me what to do." His attention was now towards the blond girl. She flinched under his gaze. "Let's go." Without looking back at her, Gaara started walking away. Kankuro re-tied his puppet on his back and followed the red-head. The blond girl glared at Sigyn for a brief moment before she too, followed the other two sand ninja.

Sigyn let out a breath she didn't even realize she was holding. Her heart was racing with adrenaline and fright. Why had he let them go? Just like that? The boy was on the verge of murdering her team and all of a sudden he changed his mind? It was odd. She didn't know what to make of it. She remained ever alert and on the defensive until she was 100% sure they were gone. Sigyn closed her eyes and squatted down. Placing her bare right hand on the cold ground, she used her chakra to scan for any nearby enemies. Currently, there were none. The red-head and his team were far enough away now that she could let her guard down.

Standing back up, she released the earth dome and quickly made her way to her teammates. After making sure Kain and Satori were ok, she ran over to the backpack she had previously discarded. Searching through its contents, she sighed in relief. Both scrolls were still there. The girl looked back at her team. Kain was supporting Satori due to her injury. Sigyn made her way to them and was now on Satori's other side. "I'll protect us. We just have to make it to the tower. I scanned the area and it's not too far from here. We can do it." Satori and Kain nod. They've been through worse. Both of them knew of Sigyn's undying loyalty to them. She would do whatever it took to keep them safe.  
-.-.-.-.-.-.-A few days later.-.-.-.-.-.-.-  
The second time she saw him was during the preliminary rounds. She saw as he fought against her dear friend Rock Lee. She silently rooted for the taijutsu user but after observing what Gaara could do, Sigyn just hoped, with all her heart, that Lee would just turn out alive. After receiving the news that Lee would never be able to be a shinobi due to the injuries he suffered from Gaara, the girl was enraged.

Sigyn was one of the first people, aside from Lee's sensei and teammates, to visit him. She had taken a hold of his right hand and held onto it tightly trying to hold back tears. Sitting next to Lee's bedside, Sigyn who was focused on thoughts of her dear friend, was startled when Gaara appeared. It seems the red-head wanted to assassinate him but thankfully, the girl was there to protect him. Gaara too, seemed briefly startled as he thought Lee would have been alone, making it easier to kill him. Sigyn and Gaara made eye contact for a brief moment before a split second later, Sigyn slammed her palm to the ground and created a protective dome around Lee. In an instant, Gaara's sand was now swirling around the girl. A stream of sand snaked its way to her throat and lingered there.

"I won't let you hurt him." Her soft voice cut through to Gaara's inner thoughts. Her glare was unwavering and seemed to challenge his glare on her. "You've made it impossible for him to become a shinobi. Because of you he might never walk again. First you hurt Satori and Kain and now you try to take Lee from me. I won't let you." She whispered through gritted teeth as tears began brimming in her eyes. She didn't want to give this boy the satisfaction of seeing her cry while he killed her but she blinked and her tears fell.

Gaara seemed confused for a moment but his sand remained around her throat and extremities. "Are those tears of fear? Because you know you are about to die?" His raspy voice was low and sent a shiver down the girls back.

"No. Tears of regret for not being able to stop you from hurting those I love." Tears were now streaming down her face. She was scared of Gaara and was frustrated she couldn't hide it.

Love? Gaara thought to himself. What a stupid, naïve girl. But before Gaara could respond, Shikamaru and Naruto appeared and turned the tables on the red-head. As Shikamaru's hold on Gaara started to weaken, the red-head started explaining little bits of his childhood to them. Sigyn listened intently to the sad story of this boy everyone called a monster. Her heart started to race and she felt pain for him. Everything he had to endure and live through had caused great hostility in him. Was there anything she could do? Anything to ease his pain and perhaps give him a new look on life? As Gaara continued to explain to them his reasons for killing, Shikamaru and Naruto tensed up. They were becoming nervous seeing how unstable the red-head truly was. Sigyn swallowed hard and took a step forward.

"You don't have to kill. You don't have to do this or prove anything to anyone. You could stop this right now. Let me help you. We could even be friends." Sigyn stretched her right hand out towards Gaara as he gripped his head in pain. Did he have a headache? The girl wanted to gently grip his hand and show him it was alright and she wanted to help, when Naruto grabbed onto her arm.

"Don't Sigyn. You don't know what he might do." His sky blue eyes were fixated on the red-head as he glared at him.

Shikamaru, agreeing with Naruto, did not look back at the girl but replied, "Don't try to make friends with someone so unstable Sigy. Someone like him might not want to change."

Gaara was now glaring at all of them. He threatened to kill them all at his next opportunity. Before he exited the hospital room, he took one last look at Sigyn. "This will be the last time you stand in my way." His raspy voice cut through to her like a knife. "Next time I see you, you're dead." He disappeared without another word.

Sigyn let out a sigh of frustration and Shikamaru and Naruto started scolding her. Shikamaru berated her about how careless she was acting. Trying to get through to someone like that was impossible. The lazy boy asked her to release her earth jutsu around lee and she did. However, before she could leave the hospital room, he yelled at her again to not seek Gaara out because it would be a hassle to find her dead body somewhere and try to explain it to her father, Yamato.

"There are times when you are very naïve Sigyn. As kind as your intentions may have been, you should direct them to someone else." Shikamaru sometimes felt he had to be the voice of reason for the girl. She placed herself in unnecessary danger too many times to count.  
-.-.-.-.-.-.-A month later.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-  
During Gaara's fight with Sasuke, the girl noticed how unstable the red-head was becoming by every passing second. She was biting her nails, a nervous habit she subconsciously did when anxiety struck her. Kain placed a hand on her shoulder to reassure her Sasuke would be ok. Sigyn frowned and shook his hand off, stating she wasn't worried about the emo kid, she was worried for Gaara.

That took the rocker ninja by surprise. He had figured the girl wanted him dead after what he did to Satori and himself. Due to the injuries suffered at Gaara's hand, Satori was in crutches like Lee and was unable to continue the chunin exams. Sigyn had expressed anger and sadness for the situation but it seemed to him she had a change of heart. That didn't sit well with the amber-eyed boy. In fact, a seed of jealousy started to sprout within him and he now glared down at the red-head wishing Sasuke would kill him and get it over with.

When Gaara surrounded himself with his sand, Sigyn quickly crouched down and placed her right hand on the ground. Closing her eyes she whispered, "Chakra resonance." In her minds eye, she could see her surroundings in infrared. Heat signatures from inside Gaara's sand dome were visible to her and she was able to make out the red-head from within. He was talking to himself. At least that's what it seemed like at first. "He's... Summoning something..." She whispers to herself but Kain overhears. The boys attention is averted once again to Gaara and Sasuke's fight just in time to see Sasuke use his Chidori on the red-head.

Sigyn lets out a gasp which only annoys Kain further. Before he lets out a snarky remark, there is panic from the stage as sound and sand ninjas start invading Konoha. "You still wanna make friends with that freak Sigy?!" He angrily tries to berate the girl however, within all the confusion, Kain looses sight of Sigyn and only briefly manages to see Gaara being taken away by the puppet kid and the blond fan girl.

"Sigyn!" Kain yells out for her but she is nowhere to be found. Slight panic races within him as he imagines the worst. However, before he can continue his search for her, the boy takes a look up on the arena seats and see's his sister struggling to escape falling debris and attacking ninja. "Shit!" He hisses and his priorities change and is now solely focused on protecting Satori.

Sigyn follows Sasuke, who in turn, was following Gaara and his siblings. When Sasuke caught wind of Sigyn following them, he yelled back at the her to stop her pursuit and mind her own business. She ignores him and hides beneath the earth just before Sasuke turns to see if she heeded his words. Thinking he shooed her away, Sasuke continues his chase of Gaara. Sigyn was tunneling under the earth, continuing to follow the red-head. She wanted to know what was going on. The heat signature she felt right before Sasuke hit him with his chidori wasn't a normal summoning. It was a lot stronger, more malevolent and blood thirsty. She had no intention of fighting Gaara, she just wanted answers.

Once Sasuke caught up with the red-head, their fight continued. Sigyn was tucked away safely beneath the earth and could 'see' what was going on with her chakra resonance. There was no way she was going to help Sasuke. She would wait to see if Gaara killed him before continuing her pursuit of the red-head. Sigyn wouldn't risk her safety for someone like Uchiha.

As she silently watched over the fight, Sigyn realized that Gaara was a Jinchuriki like Naruto. Yamato had told her the truth of Naruto and why and how the nine-tails was sealed within him. She knew of what happened to his parents but vowed she would remain silent about it. Sigyn wanted to protect her dear friend from the truth and kept that secret for years. Now, with curiosity bubbling with her, Sigyn wanted to learn as much of Gaara as she could. This information could be vital to the Hokage now that she knew Sunagakure had a Jinchuriki. She figured Yamato would be proud of her for retrieving such valuable knowledge.

Just as she was contemplating this, Naruto and Sakura show up to break up the fight and protect Sasuke from Gaara. The red-head binds Sakura to a tree, which Sigyn was firmly decided on not to help her either, but then Gaara's next target was Naruto. In the middle of their fight, Sigyn pops out of the earth and summons a few golems to distract the red-head.

"I told you the next time I saw you I'd kill you!" Gaara violently screams out to Sigyn. Naruto tries to shield her but a wall of sand quickly lunges towards her.

The girl slams her palm on the ground and shouts, "Earth wall!" A large wall of earth shoots up from the ground and blocks the sand from advancing. "And I told you I would die for my friends!" When she shouted back at him, Gaara flinched for a second and Naruto took the opportunity to create thousands of shadow clones and attack Gaara. They overwhelm him and the red-head decides to fully transform into his demon.

"Naruto! Get away from him!" Sigyn shouts to her blond friend but before she could take another breath, Gaara takes hold of her with his demonic hand and smashes her against a large tree. Sigyn hits her head and is briefly knocked out. The fight continues between Naruto and Gaara and Sigyn finally wakes up just in time to see the blond headbutt the red-head. Sigyn's head is aching and throbbing, her vision slightly blurred and blood drips from her forehead but she manages to make her way to Naruto's side.

"Are you ok?" She whispers to her blue-eyed friend. He nods but starts to crawl his way towards Gaara. As the red-head screams for Naruto to get away from him, the blond boy tells him he sympathizes with his upbringing and tough childhood. He too was lonely until he met Sakura, Sasuke and Sigyn. Gaara's brother and sister appear and take hold of him. Before they could take him away however, Sigyn shouts, "Wait!" The three sand siblings turn to her and Gaara's heart beats violently in his chest. He notices her blush, or perhaps it'just the blood seeping from her head down to her face making it seem so, but he takes note that her breathing is labored and she is struggling with what to say next.

"Well what is it?!" The blond girl's irritated voice rings in her ears and Sigyn begins to stutter.

"I-well I... I just wanted to know if... um..." Sigyn is having a hard time asking what she wants to because doubt sings in her mind. It tells her there is no way in heaven or hell this boy would accept. Especially with what just happened moments earlier, how could she ask such a thing of him and actually expect him to agree. She's afraid, nervous and anxious but it's a desire that burns deep in her heart. It's just like when she first tried to befriend Naruto. She had a difficult time then as well.

"Out with it!" It was the puppet boy that now demanded the girl to speak up.

"Gaara, If it's ok with you, I'd really like, uh, could we, could we be, friends?" Sigyns heart leapt up into her throat and formed a painful lump. Her hands sweating with anxiety and her lungs constricted as she awaited his answer. When she gazed into the faces of Gaara's companions, they seemed baffled. Just as Sigyn anticipated. A moment later the puppet boy burst out laughing.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" He gave Sigyn an incredulous glare.

"What kind of stupid thing to say is that?" It was the blond girl who chimed in this time.

Sigyn stared at the ground before her. Too embarrassed to look up at the three siblings. Gaara's raspy voice brought her emerald eyes back up to him. "There is something wrong with you, if you think someone like me can form friendships." That sentence hurt the girl a lot more than she thought. She had expected him to turn her down, it's how things usually ended up for her. She was mentally preparing herself for disappointment and she took a huge leap of faith with asking him to be her friend. However, his rejection hurt tremendously more than she could have imagined but didn't know why. Sigyn wanted to desperately cry. Se was so mortified and felt increasingly humiliated. Shikamaru was right. She was so stupidly naïve.

Gaara takes a hasty look at Naruto and the blond boys words ring in his mind. _'The pain of being all alone really is unbearable, isn't it? The way you feel, I don't know why, but I completely understand that it hurts. But I've met people who are very important to me now. I won't allow those people to get hurt. I will stop you even if it means I have to kill you.'_

His teal eyes find Sigyns red, blood and dirt stained face and her soft voice too passes in his mind. _'I would give my life if that's what it took to save them'_ Perhaps in her he could find that love that Naruto spoke of. The affection it took to protect others and care for someone other than himself. She offered her friendship to him. No one had ever done that before. Not even his own siblings. No matter how hard Gaara had tried as a child to make friends, everyone ran from him, hid and shunned him. Now, this girl he's only met a few times, tried to kill and threatened, was offering him something as precious as her friendship. Her protection and her endearment.

Staring into those bright earthy eyes of hers he felt his heart leap once again. She was staring at the three sand siblings. She seemed stiff and unable to move. Perhaps he hurt her more than he thought. He considered her offer for a moment longer before finally replying with, "Ok." Almost instantly the girl's face lit up. Her smile was from ear to ear and as he turned his back to her, with the support of his brother and sister, started to walk away.

"My names Sigyn by the way! But you can call me Sigy if you want! I'll write to you!" She yelled out after him. Without turning to face her, Gaara simply lifted his hand to her as a gesture that he had heard her.

"What a strange girl." Temari muttered under her breath.

"Yeah but at least she's kinda cute." Kankuro stated in a goofy manner. Gaara merely grunted before apologizing to his siblings for his previous behavior.

Naruto stared at Sigyn until she finally turned to face him. "What?" She asked with a blush still evident on her cheeks.

"Do you have a thing for him or something?" He questioned with a frown.

"W-what? No! Shut up! Let's go get the emo kid and forehead face before they die already." She grumbled as she offered Naruto her shoulder to support himself.

"Whatever you say." The blond mumbled.


	4. Chapter 4

_Dear Gaara,_

 _So I can honestly say I've never really written a letter before but I hope this finds you good and well. I remain optimistic that we can one day become good friends. Hopefully I haven't made you believe I'm an odd ball and I'm sure you're asking yourself why I would even bother trying to befriend you._

 _The truth is, I know you're a Jinchuriki. This isn't my first run in with one but unfortunately I can not go into detail about that. The first time we met, I will admit, I wanted to kill you. Destroy you in any way I could because of what you did to Satori and Kain (My teammates). When I saw you going against Lee and I saw him kicking your ass for a moment, a part of me was ecstatic at the fact you would be defeated. However, after you turned the tables on him and practically shattered his leg, I wanted to strangle you again. I know this isn't something you want to read but please hear me out._

 _The next time I saw you, fear had taken over me and I realized you were much more dangerous than I thought. I knew you were more than capable of killing me but I was ready to die for Lee. He's my dear friend just like Satori, Kain and Naruto. For them, I would give up everything I have to see them happy. When you explained your childhood to my friends and I, something within me wanted to help you. Do not mistake that for pity. I just wanted to give you one happy memory. I think everyone deserves that._

 _Your childhood has left much to be desired but none of it was your fault. I want you to know that. I know it may seem strange and weird that some random girl wants to be friends with you, especially after everything that happened however, believe me when I say I truly do want to be your friend. I honestly want to see you smile and laugh. Please give me a chance to make you happy but if I've scared you away by being too pushy or strange, than I'm happy to at least have had the chance to write to you._

 _I hope you write back and I'd like to visit you one day, if that's ok of course. We could hang out and talk more if you want. We could get to know each other better and maybe become best friends. Well, I guess that's it. Hope to hear from you soon._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Sigyn_

 _P.S. : I really like your eyes. They're pretty cool_

"You like him." Naruto gave Sigyn a sly smirk.

"I do not like him that way Naruto!" The girl snatched her letter back from the blond and folded it up. As she slipped it into an envelope and walked over to the mailbox, she could hear the blue-eyed boy snicker.

"So why go through all the trouble of befriending him?" His arms were crossed over his chest.

"You befriended me when you didn't have to. I was a weird kid, well I still am but anyway, I wanted to give him the option of accepting or rejecting a friendship. With what he said, about people calling him a monster and isolating him, he reminded me of you. How sad and lonely you were. I never wanted to see that look on anyone's face ever again." Her eyes were cast down in embarrassment as she explained her reasons to the boy.

Suddenly she found herself wrapped in the blond's arms in a tight embrace. "Oh Sigy!" Tears were brimming in his eyes. "You're the sweetest friend anyone could ever ask for!"

"Oh cut it out drama queen!" She squirmed out of his hug but secretly enjoyed it. "And don't be telling anyone about this! I can't have people thinking I'm some sort of touchy feely person. I have to keep up my mean and cold persona."

Naruto laughed and gave her a thumbs up. He placed his arm around her shoulder and they walked down the streets of Konoha that way. "Ichiraku ramen?"

"Sure and don't worry, my treat." Sigyn inwardly smiled. She knew Naruto was usually broke and she honestly didn't mind treating him to things often. His situation was tough and Yamato gave her a pretty good allowance. Besides, if she didn't spend it on him what would she spend it on?

"Oh look at the two love birds." Sakura was walking towards them with Ino, Choji and Shikamaru not far behind her.

Naruto immediately released his hold on Sigyn and ran up to Sakura. "H-hey Sakura-chan! You look lovely today." His sweet smile was wasted on forehead face in Sigyn's opinion. Sakura merely scowled at the blond boy, ignored him and turned her attention to Sigyn. However, before the pinkette could open her mouth, the green-eyed girl started speaking.

"Heya Shika-kun, Choji-kun. Hello Ino." Sigyn knew Sakura hated being ignored and it only made the girl inwardly smirk to get under her skin.

"Hey Sigy." The trio said in unison.

"Where you guys heading?" Again Sigyn ignored Sakura though she was becoming increasingly irritated with Naruto wasting his time with her. He kept complimenting the girl only to receive insults from her.

"Well, I'm looking for Sasuke-kun. Have you seen him?" Ino replied. Sigyn shook her head 'no.'

"Choji and I are going up to my spot to cloud watch. Wanna join us?" Sigyn contemplated this for a moment but then shook her head 'no' again.

"Thanks but I promised Ichiraku to him. Afterwards I'll probably just head home." Sigyn gave an apologetic smile. "Maybe next time?" She offered. Shikamaru just shrugged. Sigyn turned back to see what Naruto was up to now and sighed heavily. "Seriously?" She muttered. Sakura had hit him upside the head for annoying her. "Naruto you're so irritating sometimes." The girl clenched her jaw in annoyance. She was trying so hard not to punch Sakura in the face for hurting Naruto.

"Keep your idiot friend away from me." Sakura stated as she started to walk away. Sigyn made a move towards her but Naruto took hold of her arm and stopped her.

"It's ok Sigy, lets go eat instead." He scratched the back of his head and awkwardly laughed.

"You're so stupid." The girl muttered and started walking away from him towards the ramen shop.

"What I do now?" The blond boy took a glance towards Shikamaru and Choji but they both shrugged. "Hold on! Sigy!" Naruto called out to her and ran to catch up to her.

 _-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-that night-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-_

As Sigyn lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling, she grabbed a pillow and placed it over her face. _'I'm so stupid!'_ She says in her mind. _'Gaara's going to think I'm so fucking weird and stupid because of my idiotic letter! He'll never want to be my friend now. I probably scared him away!'_ She felt an indentation in her bed and a hand remove the pillow from her face. It was Yamato.

"You ok kid?" She noticed his eyes held worry for her. She sheepishly turned away from him so her back was towards the ANBU.

"I mailed the letter." She mumbled.

"And?" He coaxed.

"And... I'm regretting it. What was I thinking? Gaara's going to think I'm so weird." She was red-faced.

Yamato chuckled and stood up from her bed. "You overthink too much. If he doesn't like you, so be it. Didn't you say Sasuke doesn't like you very much? That doesn't seem to bother you. Besides, I already told you, I don't think it's a good idea to make friends with a Jinchuriki Sigyn. From what you've told me, he's very unstable and I don't want you placing yourself in unnecessary danger."

"By that logic, I shouldn't be friends with Naruto." She sat up on her bed and glared at her adoptive father.

He gave her his signature scary face but she remained firm with her glare. "He isn't unstable." Sigyn crossed her arms over her chest, turned her face away from him and replied with a 'tch.' He placed a hand atop her head and ruffled her hair. "I bought dinner, it's on the table. Don't go to bed late, I'll see you in a couple of weeks."

As he turned to leave, the girl took hold of his arm. "Another classified mission?" Her eyes found his and smiling warmly he nodded 'yes.' "Please be careful." She whispered.

"I will, if you promise to stay out of trouble." He smirked.

"I always do! By the way, who will be our sensei while you're away?"

"Ah about that." Yamato placed a hand on his chin. "Satori and Kain will be training separately from you for the next two months. And you will be with Kakashi's team untill I return." As he expected, Sigyn's jaw dropped in horror.

"But why?!" She cried out.

"Because he can properly watch over you and your condition. If your chakra overflows and you don't safely release it, you know perfectly well what damage you can cause." He raised an eyebrow at her.

"I can control it a lot better now with your training! I'm not helpless!" She fought back. "I feel like you're trying to distract me from the fact that I'll be stuck with Sakura and Sasuke for weeks untill you come back! Why aren't Kain and Satori suffering like me?!" She was whining now.

"Because they will be training with their father for those two months. I'm sure I don't have to tell you their father was pretty upset over Satori's ankle. She couldn't finish the chunin exams and it didn't sit well with him."

"Oh, right." Sigyn quietly responded.

"It won't be as horrible as you think. Remember, Naruto will be there too. Just keep your temper in check and do not kill anyone. Understand?" His scary face was back and this time she flinched. Yamato laughed. "I see you're not completely immune to the scary face."

As he made his way towards the door, Sigyn called out, "I love you dad. Please be careful."

Yamato stopped dead in his tracks and stared at her. Did she just call him dad? He had fantasized about this moment for a long time but never thought it would happen. He had practiced his reaction to this moment in his head but was so stunned at the moment that he just stood there like a deer in headlights. A blush crept up onto his face and he was momentarily speechless. After regaining his senses he replied,"you're acting like you'll never see me again." He managed a chuckle. "I love you too kid." He muttered as he exited the house.

Once Sigyn found herself alone at home again, she let out a sigh. "Thank you for the food." She whispered. "I miss you already." When she sat down to eat she spoke to herself again. "I should save some for that idiot. He's probably having instant ramen again." A smile found its way to her lips. "I hope he's not sad he's alone. Maybe I'll sleep over his place tomorrow and keep him company."

-.-.-.-.-.-Same night but with Gaara.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The red-head sat on the rooftop of his house, alone, as always. Staring up at the moon, he was lost in his thoughts of 'her.' Temari was right. She was a little strange. However, he'd be lying if he said he didn't appreciate her offer of friendship. He wondered for a moment if she really would write to him. If she really meant it when she said she wanted to be his friend. She seemed nervous. Perhaps she was being forced to say that. Someone bribed her or threaten her to offer her friendship to him. That seemed more plausible.

Shukaku was giddy and laughing. ' _You're thinking too much about it kid.'_ The demon replied in his mind.

 _'What are you on about?'_ Gaara replied clearly irritated with the demon invading his thoughts.

 _'It's pretty evident the girl likes you. Dear I say, love at first sight?'_ His high pitch laugh makes the red-head wince in irritation.

 _'Love. Who would love a monster like me? You're obviously mistaken.'_ Gaara ignores Shukaku's laugh and continues to stare up at the moon.

 _'And you're obviously denser than I thought.'_ Before Gaara could reply to the annoying demon, Kankuro's voice echoed throughout the house.

"Gaara! Dinner's ready! And prepare yourself because Temari's the one who cooked!"

"I CAN HEAR YOU!" Temari yelled out.

 _'You sure you'd rather not just kill them?'_ Once again Shukaku gave his 2 cents.

 _'No.'_ Gaara replied as he made his way into the house.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- A few days later (With Gaara) -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Gaara sat across Kankuro on the kitchen table. They were currently engrossed in a game of chess. Kankuro was a little nervous that if he won, his little brother might become irritated enough to kill him. However, the older sand sibling did notice Gaara's attempts to be nicer to him and his sister. So he decided to take this chance and play a game with him. Gaara was doing rather well, much to his surprise and the puppeteer was becoming increasingly agitated with the fact that he might lose.

While Kankuro was thinking of a strategy, Temari slammed the door to the house open and slammed it shut, disrupting his concentration. "What the hell Temari?! I'm going to lose thanks to you!" Thinking that picking a fight with his sister would distract Gaara, Kankuro tried to sneak one of his little brother's pieces off the chess board but his hand was caught by Gaara's sand."Eh heh heh..." Kankuro nervously chuckled but before Gaara could say anything, Temari chimed in.

"Bills, bills, bills, something stupid for Kankuro," The blond threw a magazine at her younger brother and it landed on his face. "Oh well look at this." Temari held a letter in her hand. Gaara's sand released his brother hand and Kankuro took the opportunity to come up behind Temari and take a peek.

"It's addressed to you." The older brother glanced over at the red-head. The youngest of the sand siblings narrowed his teal eyes up at them.

"It says it's from Sigyn. Isn't that the name of that odd girl?" Temari questioned.

"Oh yeah the cute one!" Kankuro tried to snatch the letter out of his sisters hand but she smacked him.

"It's Gaaras! Hands off nosy." She scowled at him but her brother shrugged and stood behind the red-head, hoping to read the letter along with Gaara. Temari handed her youngest brother the letter and he stood up to walk away with it.

"Aww aren't you gonna read it aloud for us to hear?" Kankuro whinnied. Gaara glared at him and he sheepishly shrunk away.

"No." He replied in annoyance.

"Leave him be Kankuro." Temari harshly whispered at him. "G-gaara." The red-head shifted his focus from the letter in his hand to his sister. "Whatever is written on it, if it upsets you, tell me, I'll make her regret it." The blond crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. Gaara nodded and continued to make his way up to the roof.

He held the unopened letter in his hands. His stomach twisted and turned but he was unsure as to why. His breathing quickened a bit and he sighed to try and calm himself down. Gaara had never felt this way before. Unsure and uneasy about something. It was a foreign feeling and he didn't like it. Perhaps this wasn't a good idea. This girl was already making him feel things he never had before, or maybe he had but was long forgotten. Either way, he detested it. Maybe he should rip up the letter and pretend he never received it. On the other hand, what if it wasn't anything bad? What if it was more than he could ever hope for? Not wanting to get his hopes up, Gaara places the letter next to him and stares up at the moon.

 _'Just read it. The anticipation is killing me.'_ Shukaku appeared again.

 _'What if it's her saying she hates me? Saying it was a mistake to offer me her friendship?' The red-head replies._

 _'Well, there's only one way to find out. And if that's the case, we'll kill her. I see no problem here.'_ The demon lets out a shrill snicker.

 _'Must your solutions always end with death?'_ Gaara calmly questions.

 _'What's wrong with that?'_ Shukaku replies.

The red-head shakes his head in frustration. The demon is no help but he was right about one thing. The only way to find out is to read it. As he held the letter in his hand once more, he thought about the girl. Naruto said his life changed when he met his friend Sakura, Sasuke and Sigyn. If he said that about her, then perhaps this letter wouldn't contain something horrible. Optimism inched its way into Gaara's heart.

Delicately opening the envelope, as if it would disintegrate in his hands, he pulled out the letter and discarded its unnecessary package. Sighing one last time, he opened the piece of paper and began reading it carefully. Her writing was a little sloppy and seemed rushed but he was able to make out the words with relative ease. Arriving at the end of the letter, he didn't notice but a smirk crept its way to his lips.

 _'Well, you gotta admire her honesty. She didn't sugar coat the fact she wanted to murder you or that she was afraid of you.'_ Shukaku reappeared.

 _'Yes and it appears she is sincere about this friendship.'_ Gaara's heart did a little flip and his smirk turned into a smile. Shukaku abruptly disappeared into the back of his mind and Gaara was left alone with his thoughts. _'I should write back.'_ The read-head made his way back into his home and into his bedroom. All the while ignoring his siblings curious looks.

"Did he look upset to you?" Temari whispered to her younger brother.

"Dunno. He seemed ok to me." Kankuro replied. "Guess we can ask him in the morning."

In his quiet isolation, Gaara contemplated on what to write back. Should he thank her for her honesty? He truly was grateful for it. Should he invite her to visit him? The next couple of weeks he really had nothing scheduled. Other than training, his calendar was pretty open. What would they do though? Would he take her around Suna and show her the sights? Gaara released a deep sigh of frustration. This was going to be harder than he thought.

 _Dear Sigyn,_

 _Thank you for writing to me. I was surprised to hear that I had mail today. I did not anticipate you actually writing to me. After much thought, I considered your offer to visit and I think I would like that. How about you decide when. That way, when you receive this letter, you can reply with the date you would like to meet on. I could show you around Suna if that sounds pleasant to you. There isn't much to see, but I could take you to our desert flower garden. I go there often at night for the solitude it provides._

 _You stated you were aware of me being a Jinchuriki. I suppose after my outburst on Naruto, I can't really hide that fact anymore. Perhaps when you arrive I could tell you more about it if it interests you. Though, I'm sure you'll understand when I say I can not divulge too much information on the matter, since it is classified information after all._

 _Thank you for your sincerity when you said you wanted to kill me and feared me. That is a strange thing to say, I know, but really, thank you. People are not honest with me out of kindness, only fear. By you being openly honest with me I think, maybe, this friendship thing won't be so bad after all._

 _I do not wish for you to be afraid of me. I want you to be my friend because you want to and not through obligation or as you stated, pity. If you don't think me too bold, I will admit I am curious about you as well. Though you did hesitate a bit, you offered your friendship to me and I would like to know more about why. I would also like to know about your childhood and upbringing. I think it's only fair, considering I told you about mine._

 _I can honestly say this is my first time writing a letter as well. It isn't as easy as it seems. Especially for someone like me, who can not properly put their emotions in words. For the longest time, I thought I could only feel hate and anger. Now that I am trying to keep my temper under control, I've come to realize I can feel more than just loathing and hostility. I will await for your reply and in the meantime, I hope you too are well and good._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Gaara_

 _P.S.: I like your eyes too. They are very earthy._


	5. Chapter 5

It was late at night and Sigyn lay in Naruto's bed. Depression had struck and he was the only one she could turn to. The Third Hokage was murdered and they had just come back from the funeral. Sigyn had to write back to Gaara that she could not visit him any time soon. She was sure the news of the Hokages' death had reached him but was still worried about him thinking her a liar. However, in her letter, she apologized profusely and promised to visit him as soon as she was able. Another thing prohibiting her from visiting him, was her father. If he found out she had left during such turbulent times, he would be furious.

Sigyn was quietly sobbing into Narutos' pillow. The blond boy tried to remain strong, for both their sakes. Losing the Third Hokage had inflicted such deep, personal wounds in them both. After a minute or so, the blond sat on his bed, next to the girl and placed a gentle hand on her head.

"It'll be ok Sigy." He softly spoke but she didn't reply. "I know he ment a lot to you. He did for me too but," he let out a heavy sigh. "But he wouldn't want us laying in bed all day crying, right?" Sigyn turned to him with red, tear stained eyes and he offered her a soft smile.

Rubbing her eyes and sniffing a couple of times, she replied, "Yeah. You're right." Hugging him tightly, they fell asleep together.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

A couple of days later, Sigyn received a response from Gaara. She was nervous that the red-head would be angry with her. That perhaps he would lose faith in her for not being able to visit him and that it seemed like she was coming up with excuses to avoid him. As she read his letter however, she was surprised to find the red-head rather understanding of the situation. He wasn't upset with her, though admittedly, was a little disappointed but he would hold her to her promise. They would schedule a visit when the time was right.

Over the next few weeks, Sigyn continued to write to Gaara about how things in Konoha were. Currently, the girl wrote about how sad and depressed she was that Naruto left with Jiraiya-sama on a mission. Satori and Kain were still training with their father but she would visit them from time to time. She wrote to him about her training with Lee and Gai-Sensei and how despite his injuries, was recovering pretty well.

She wrote to him about how much she hated moving from one teacher to another because it felt like no one wanted her or had time for her. She was upset that her father had yet to return and she was getting worried. Gaara would always reply back and tell her that worrying would do her no good and she should instead focus on her training. Keeping her mind occupied was a good way to relieve stress.

Gaara would write back to her as often as she would to him. Just like her, he would tell the girl about his experiences back home. He and his siblings were getting along much better now and there was far less animosity between them. The red-head would write to her about what he had planned for when she would visit him. She would reply with excitement and anticipation, which always placed a smile on the red-heads face.

A couple of days after mailing her most recent letter, Shikamaru had approached the girl and asked if she wanted to aid in the Sasuke recovery mission. The lazy ninja informed her that Naruto requested her aide because she was well practiced as a medical ninja. Naruto said they might need some healing if they all wanted to come back alive and Shikamaru agreed. Now the problem was convincing the girl to actually join them.

"We really could use your talents Sigy." Shikamaru gave her a stern glance. She knew he was serious.

"It's not like I'm a doctor Shika-kun. There's only so much I can do." Sigy glanced over at Kiba and Choji, who looked at her with pleading.

"Be honest Sigyn. The real reason why you don't want to go, is because this is for Sasuke. To be honest, I don't care either way but my friends need me." Neji stared straight into her eyes and the girl sighed.

"Yeah, alright. Is it really such a bad thing that he's gone?" She rolled her eyes at them in annoyance.

"What is this vendetta that you have against him anyway?" Kiba questioned.

"Look," Shikamaru interjected before the argument could escalate because with Sigyn's temper, it usually did. Truth is, Shikamaru knew exactly why Sigyn disliked Sasuke and it wasn't just the relentless teasing of Naruto. "We're not going to force you to join us. All I'm saying is, Naruto recommended you. If not for Sasuke, then do it for him."

Sigyn stared at the lazy ninja for a moment before crossing her arms over her chest. "Alright. Besides," The girl glanced over at the other boys. "Can't have you dying out there knowing I might've made a difference."

"Just one thing." Kiba smirked at Sigyn. "Please don't start a fight when we find him."

Again she rolled her eyes at them. "Yeah, yeah."

-.-.-.-three days later.-.-.-.-.-

"This fight will be easy for me. You guys go on ahead, I'll take care of him." Sigyn was preparing herself to fight Jirōbō but Choji stopped her.

"No Sigy-chan, he insulted Shikamaru and ate the last chip. I can not let you fight him. He's mine." Before the girl could protest, he continued. "Besides, this is only the first enemy, they're going to need you further ahead."

"Choji no! I can take him! He's an earth user like me! I can deflect and anticipate his attacks! This will be nothing and I can quickly catch up to you guys!" Sigyn stood in front of the large boy but Shikamaru held her back.

"No. He's right Sigyn, we may need you. I have full confidence Choji can handle this guy." Shikamaru smiles at his best friend and Choji returns it.

The girl, still defiant, grits her teeth but gives up. "Ok but take this." She hands him one blue and one pink pill. "I made some preparations before we left and created some healing pills." She places them in the palm of his right hand and then uses her hand to close his around the pills. Sigyn then places her hand atop his. "Listen to me Choji." Her eyes hold concern for him. "Only use these in the most absolute dire of situations. The blue one contains a chakra boost from my personal reserve, so it's a pretty strong dose. The pink one will surround you in a healing type of cocoon made of my chakra. Use this one if you find yourself in critical condition but only and I mean only, if you are safe. This pill will put you in a comatose state and keep you alive until I or another medical ninja arrive."

Shikamaru looks impressed and Choji asks, "Where did you learn to make food pills? And ones with these kind of effects?"

Sigyn smirks, "That's my secret. But really, I mean it Choji, use them wisely." The boy nods and the girl takes one more look at him before departing with the rest of the group.

"Don't worry Sigy-chan, Choji's stronger than he looks." Shikamaru tries to reassure her. "Besides, it sounds like your food pills will help him out a lot."

"I hope so Shika-kun. I really do." The girl sighs.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"This one will be difficult." Sigyn mumbles.

"That's why I'm staying." Neji steps up to the plate but the girl tries to intercept again.

"Neji I'm worried. I feel I should stay to back you up. That way, I can go back and check on Choji." The girl starts to bite at her nails, a nervous habit.

"No. Continue on with the others, If I'm alright, then I'll go back for Choji." Neji steps in front of her but Sigyn takes hold of his arm.

"I don't like this at all but," She digs in her pants pocket and pulls out another pink and blue food pill. She hands both to him and he nods in gratitude. "Please be careful."

"Go." Neji faces Kidōmaru and Sigyn takes one last look at him.

"I don't like this Shika-kun. They're separating us and I-" Sigyn is cut off by Naruto before she could finish.

"I know this isn't what you're used to Sigy-chan. You, Kain and Satori are always together and you don't leave a friend behind but sometimes, you have to have faith your teammate can handle themselves. Shikamaru's right, Choji is stronger than he looks and well, you know Neji. He's probably stronger than the rest of us. He'll be fine." The blond gives her his signature goofy smile and his blue eyes shine brightly but it does little to ease her fears.

"This will be a good learning experience for you Sigy-chan." Kiba speaks up. "You're used to always being on the defensive. Kain and Satori usually do all the fighting right?" She nods. "You need to be strong. We're counting on you to use your head and those defense and healing skills. Have confidence. I know you care about your team but you're more than just a human shield."

"Well said Kiba." Shikamaru compliments. The girl runs a hand through her hair to try and ease her nerves but slightly frowns because she messed up her braid.

"I'm sorry I just," She sighs. "It's like Naruto-kun said, I'm not used to leaving my team behind. It's my job to protect everyone. It's the reason why you brought me along. To make sure you guys stay alive. I can't help but feel I'm not living up to that."

"You're carrying the whole burden of this mission on your shoulders Sigy-chan. Remember you have a team that is willing to die for you just as much as you are for them. Give us some of that weight to carry." Shikamarus' words hit the girl hard. He was right. This whole time she felt the safety and well being of everyone was up to her but that wasn't true. Everyone had a part to play and she had to share the hardship of leaving a friend behind.

"You're right. I'm sorry." Sigyn rubs her eyes of tears.

"You have a good heart Sigy-chan. It's why we knew we could trust you to come with us." Shikamaru really had this much confidence in her? Confidence she lacked.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"I came ill prepared Kiba I'm sorry. I only have pink pills left. Here." Sigyn hands him two, one for him and one for Akamaru.

"Don't worry, this will do, and hey," He looks into her emerald orbs and smiles. "Once this is over, how about a date?"

The girl is surprised he is asking for something like that in this situation. She stutters and doesn't know what to say but thankfully Naruto saves the day. "Oi! You have to ask my permission first if you want to ask my sis out, dog breath!"

"Shut up Idiot! She's not even your real sister!" Kiba countered.

"Alright." Sigy finally speaks. Naruto and Shikamaru both stare at her in surprise. "If you promise me you wont die at Sakon and Ukon's hands, then I promise you a date when we get back home." She really didn't care about the date, she just wanted to give him a reason to stay alive.

He smiles at her and yells out, "Whoo hoo! You hear that Akamaru?! Now we really can't lose!"

"Keep him safe Akamaru." Sigyn places a kiss atop the dogs' head.

"Where's mine?" Kiba cheekily asks. The girl stutters and blushes again but is saved by Shikamaru this time.

"I think her agreeing to a date with you should be sufficient." The lazy ninja rolls his eyes but Kiba just laughs it off.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"I can't Shika-kun! I can't leave you! Let me take care of this crazy bitch!" Sigyn's eyes begin to water.

"Remember what I told you Sigy-chan. Stay strong. If anyone can reach Sasuke, It's Naruto. You need to make sure you get Naruto to him. Now go! It's essential to give chase immediately after the guy that took Sasuke before he gets too far and we lose him! I'm counting on you!" As Sigyn hands him a pink pill, Shikamaru holds her hand and gives it a light squeeze for reassurance. "Get this idiot to Sasuke."

She nods and returns his gesture. "Afterwords, can we go cloud watching?" She softly asks.

Shikamaru replies, "Yeah, once I get done with this inconvenience."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

As they gave chase to the guy that took Sasuke, Sigyn noticed Naruto starting to lose himself to his Jinchuriki. "Naruto-kun don't worry, we'll catch him." She tries to sooth the blond but it doesn't work.

Once they come to a clearing, the girl notices the man put Sasuke down and turns to face them. Naruto's rage is building and Sigyn tries to place her hand on his shoulder. He makes a move to bite her and the girl flinches away. "N-Naruto, please." However, the blond is lost in his rage and her voice doesn't reach him.

The blond summons thousands of shadow clones and Sigyn prepares herself for battle. As Kimimaro seems distracted with Narutos' clones, the girl takes the opportunity to try and grab Sasuke. She disappears underground and tunnels her way to the casket. Once she senses she is right under it, Sigyn makes a move for it but is suddenly stopped by Kimimaro stabbing the earth with one of his long bone blades.

It was such a close call that she gets a cut on her right cheek. Startled by the sudden attack, the girl tunnels back to her original spot and comes back above ground. _'Shit! Hey's way too fast for me! I can't even surprise him underground! Fuck! What do I do?! Don't panic, don't panic!'_

Just then, Kimimaro finishes off Narutos' clones and goes for the real one. Sasuke appears from within the coffin and distracts Naruto, leaving himself open for Kimimaro to strike. Sigyn, thankfully paying close attention, had just finished her hand seals for a protective jutsu when out of the blue, Lee appears and kicks Kimimaro away.

"Lee-kun!" Sigyn yells in joy and rushes to Narutos' side to asses his injuries. Lee assures Naruto he can go after Sasuke and that he would take care of Kimimaro.

Sigyn finishes healing the blond and nods for him to go. "It's ok Naruto-kun. Lee needs me more than you do. He isn't fully healed yet and I should stay to keep him safe. Shika-kun was right. You can reach Sasuke and bring him home." Her encouraging words aide the blond into going after Sasuke.

As he runs towards Sasuke, Kimimaro takes advantage and goes after the blond. Sigyn slams her palms together and yells out, "Earth spike!" A large spike of earth shoots up from the ground and blocks Kimimaros' attack. "I told you I got this! Go Naruto!" Sigyn yells to her best friend and he complies.

Lee is distracting Kimimaro with his taijutsu and effectively keeps him away from giving chase to the blond. "Don't worry Lee-kun, I've got your back!" Sigyn, though admittedly shaken up a bit because Kimimaro was superior in strength, tries to calm herself and starts to gather chakra up from the surrounding trees.

 _'Just keep him distracted long enough for me to gather enough chakra Lee-kun.'_ Sigyn has to focus on protecting Lee and preparing her next move against Kimimaro. As the fight continued, the girl was impressed with Lees' skills despite his injuries. She knew his leg wasn't what it used to be and yet here he was keeping Kimimaro at bay. "You're amazing Lee-kun! Keep it up!" She shouted words of encouragement. The boy gave her a thumbs up as indication he had heard her.

 _'There! I've gathered enough chakra! Now, I just have to wait for the right moment!'_ Sigyn was waiting for a chance when Kimimaro was still. All she needed was a split second. When she could get him motionless, Sigyn would take hold of his legs with earth and have Lee mercilessly pummel him with taijutsu. That, or she would use her stored up chakra and use Iron Maiden on him. That should finish him off.

For a moment, Sigyn considered releasing a few golems to aid Lee but Kimimaro was too fast. She would only hinder Lee and perhaps cause him problems. She thought about transforming the earth under Kimimaros' feet into mud or sand so he would lose his balance and she could take hold of him but again, that would only cause Lee the same hindrance and she decided against it. The girl thought perhaps she could call forth some earth spears to strike Kimimaro but Lee would have to dodge them too, potentially leaving him exposed to an attack. She had enough chakra for an earthquake but that move was severely unstable. There was a good chance Lee would be hurt by this too. It was frustrating. She was happy Lee came to their aid but that put a limit to her abilities. She had to remain on the defensive and just wait for her chance to grab Kimimaro.

There came a moment when Lee needed to take his medicine. Surprisingly, Kimimaro actually stopped and allowed Lee to take it and Sigyn figured this was her chance at last. "Earth hands!" She yelled and slammed her palms together. She was able to take hold of Kimimaros' legs. "There! Now Lee-kun! I've got him! Hurry and finish him off!" However, just as she said that, Kimimaro unleashed, from the palms of his hands, some bone and attacked Sigyn. The girl quickly dodged but released her technique and Kimimaro was free once again.

Before he could continue his attack on the girl, Lee intervened and spoke to Kimimaro. "Wait! This fight is between you and I. I need to prove that, despite my injury, I am still a capable ninja, so please," He turns to Sigyn. "Please do not interfere with my battle. Allow me to show you I can still fight." The determination in his eyes makes her question herself. Without realizing, she was making it seem like Lee was helpless. That he needed Sigyns' help to defeat Kimimaro, though that wasn't her intention.

"Lee-kun, this isn't the time to put pride over safety! Let me help you, together we can beat him!" She countered.

"Only if I am about to die will I allow you to help. I'm sorry Sigy-chan but I need to do this. I need to prove to myself I can still fight." Lee chugged down the contents of the white bottle he had brought with him.

"But Lee-kun." Sigy whispered. "I just want... I don't want to be useless." It pained her that throughout this whole ordeal, the most she was able to contribute were the medicinal pills she had made. She could have easily just given those to Shikamaru before they departed on this mission and not even come along. She wanted so desperately to help. Sigyn hated standing on the sidelines. However, it seemed she had no choice in the matter. She took a couple of steps back and sighed in defeat. He was determined to fight Kimimaro on his own and she had to allow it. It meant far to much to him for her not to.

A short moment after Lee consumed this 'medicine,' Sigyn noticed the boy acting rather strange. His eyes seemed glazed over and his usual precise taijutsu stances appeared sloppy and shaky. The girl soon realized that Lee was in fact drunk. She had used her earth jutsu to pull back the ground where Lee had dropped the white bottle. She took hold of it and gave a quick sniff at the bottle. The liquid inside was definitely alcohol. That was a surprise. Sigyn never thought of Lee as a drinker.

The girl was worried and thought to intervene. There was no way the boy could fight in this state. She didn't understand why he had gotten himself drunk instead of actually taking his medicine but there was no way she would stand by and watch him get killed. However, after keeping a close eye on the situation, the girl soon came to realize Lees' unsystematic stances and fighting were actually drunken boxing. She had only heard of this type of taijutsu when Guy-sensei and Kakashi-sensei were drunkenly eating at the barbecue joint the girl frequented with Yamato. She overheard them talking about it but at the time thought nothing of it, other than mindless banter from the two drunks. Later that night, she asked Yamato about it and he casually mentioned that it was a type of fighting style amid taijutsu users. Sigyn didn't push the matter further.

Now, as she watched Lee and Kimimaros' fight, she had a front row seat to this type of taijutsu. She briefly pondered if the boy intentionally got drunk, in order to preform this fighting style or, if he somehow got his medicine bottle mixed up with an alcoholic one. The latter seemed more credible. The girl was impressed with Lee. He was doing pretty well up against someone strong and experienced as Kimimaro. It appeared he was right, he didn't need help at all and that made the girl feel miserable. Once again she felt useless and powerless.

The fight continued with Lee and Kimimaro and Sigyn still on the sidelines just awaiting for when she would be needed, or rather, if she would be. There came a point when Kimimaro started explaining his keke genkai to Lee and after managing to deliver a cut to the boys' cheek, Lee sobered up. Sigyn let out a sigh of relief and the fight continued for a short moment.

Lee opened the first gate of his secret technique and attacked Kimimaro. To his and Sigyns' surprise, Kimimaro was unaffected. Right when Kimimaro was about to stab Lee in the face, Sigyn took hold of his legs with her earth and pulled him back, away from Lee. At that same moment, sand had shot out and took hold of Lee to pull him back towards Sigyn.

The girl turned to her right and saw Gaara standing there, next to her. How the hell had he even gotten there without her noticing?! She hadn't felt his presence or chakra. Perhaps she had been too engrossed in Lees' battle that she tuned everything else out. Sigyn stood there, staring at the red-head in shock, eyes wide and heart racing.

Gaara walked towards Kimimaro without a word or glance at Sigyn or Lee. Kimimaro launches bones from his fingertips at Gaara but the red-heads' sand stops them. A moment later, Gaara speaks to Lee and points out his sluggish movements. Lee, as polite as he could, mentioned he wasn't fully recovered after his battle with Gaara. The tall taijutsu user then took a fighting stance next to the red-head and Sigyn noticed he was bleeding from his arm.

Sigyn gasps at the sight of Lees' blood and Gaara turns his gaze to her. It seemed as though he had just noticed her standing behind them both. His teal eyes seem to search hers for a brief moment before speaking. "Hello." His raspy voice was slightly deeper now the girl noted.

Sigyn gulped hard. Her hands were sweaty and her heart viciously bounced in her chest. When she first met him, she thought him good looking but that was a fleeting thought from a silly little girl. Now, the silly girl felt her face heat up at the sight of this handsome boy that stood before her. He was a bit taller than her and his commanding aura allured her. All this, she felt in a matter of seconds before she finally responded to him.

"H-hey Gaara-kun. I didn't notice when you arrived. What are you doing here?" Unknown to the girl, Lee had been staring at the pair. If he didn't know any better, he could have sworn the girl was swooning over the red-head.

"Sunagakure is here to assist Konoha in whatever they need in an attempt at peace between each other." Gaaras' eyes find Kimimaros' and they glare at one another.

"Thank you for your assistance but I can handle him. You can be my back-up." Lee tries to run back towards Kimimaro but Gaaras' sand takes hold of his ankle. Lee falls to the ground but the red-head softened the fall with a cushion of sand. Ignoring the taijutsu users cries of protest, Gaara pulls him back next to Sigyn.

"Let me heal you Lee-kun." The girl channels her chakra to accumulate in both her hands and places them over Lees' bleeding arm. "Please tell me if I hurt you. It can sometimes be difficult for me to control how much chakra I release."

"Thank you Sigy-chan." Lee's eyes were downcast and a soft sigh escaped him.

"Are you alright?" She asked with concern in her voice.

"Yes." He smiled up at her but she could tell he was lying. Sigyn didn't understand why but she wouldn't bring it up now. She'd have to ask him once this was all over. Sigyn remained silent, slowly healing her dear friend to the best of her abilities.

As Gaara battles Kimimaro, Sigyn interrupts her healing and performs some hand seals. She gently taps the ground and whispers, "Sand formation." The ground underneath Kimimaros' feet begins to rumble but before Gaara could ask, the girl speaks. "I created a small lake of sand right under him. If you need more, just let me know." She shyly smiles up at him and he nodded in Gratitude.

In his mind, the red-head contemplated on whether or not to tell the girl what she did was unnecessary. He was perfectly capable of creating additional sand as he needed it. However, she seemed pleased with herself for providing aid to him and so Gaara chose to remain silent. Besides, this way, he could use his chakra more liberally against his enemy and not waste it with creating more sand.

There came a point when Gaara was able to entrap Kimimaro in his sand coffin and for a brief moment Lee and Sigyn believed the fight to be over. However, shock crossed both their features once they realized Kimimaro was still alive. He forced his way out from the sand and Sigyn placed a hand over her mouth. She was horrified with the bone users appearance. His bones were exposed where his skin was torn apart and his jaw was also showing.

After a brief conversation, Gaara quickly preformed hand seals and sand started violently seeping from the ground. Accompanied with the sand Sigyn had created for him, Gaara called forth a towering wall of sand. With even more sand quickly being added, it soon transformed into a sand tsunami aiming straight for Kimimaro.

The sand tsunami not only engulfed Kimimaro but the surrounding forest as well. Once Gaara had drowned everything around them, he slammed his palms into the sand and a strong vibration ensued. It felt identical to Sigyns' earthquake attack. The girl was amazed by Gaaras' awesome power. He wasn't afraid to use it to its full potential, unlike her. She was impressed and awe-struck.

"Dammit!" Sign cursed aloud. She knew Kimimaro was still alive. She sensed it with her chakra resonance.

Before anyone could say anything else, Gaara quickly entrapped Kimimaro again with sand and tried to compress him into nothing. However, with his new-found strength, Kimimaro was able to squeeze out of the sand. He rushed Gaara as the re-head tried to take hold of the enemy with sand. Kimimaro easily dodged Gaaras' attacks and managed to ram him with his body, sending the re-head flying.

Lee took the opportunity to attack Kimimaro but the bone user lifted his tail to swat him away. Sign called forth a rock wall from deep within where Gaaras' sand handn't affected the ground. She could control mud, earth and rock but sand was too fluid-like for her to be able to control. Kimimaro had slammed his tail on the rock wall and turned his gaze towards her. He pulls out his spine and Sigyn releases a grunt of disgust.

The girl rushes to Lees' side but Kimimaro lashes his spine out towards her. Gaara quickly takes hold of the spine with his sand and gives the girl a chance to reach Lee. Kimimaro turns to Gaara now and attacks him. He wraps his spine around Gaara and creates a blade from his bones around his free arm.

Gaara creates his ultimate defense and once it's fully assembled, Sigyn lets out a squeal. "How cute!" She exclaims. Lee stares at her with a quizzical look and Gaara inwardly smiles. "Ah, I mean, well, um you know..." She trails off unsure of what to say.

Kimimaro tries to force his way through Jesse's defense with his blade but it begins to crack. After a moment, the bone blade finally disintegrates and Gaara captures Kimimaro in sand once again. The red-head frees himself from Kimimaros' spine and starts swirling sand around him like quick sand.

Lee and Sigyn rejoice as now it seems Kimimaro is finally defeated. The sweet moment doesn't last. Kimimaro, it seems,was still alive and was going to skewer them all with his bones protruding from the ground. Gaara was quick with his sand and took hold of all three of them. They were now floating atop a bed of sand.

Sigyn takes a peak over the sand but can't find Kimimaro anywhere. She is unable to use chakra resonance because she can't make contact with the earth. A split second later, Kimimaro appears behind Gaara and attacks him with another blade of bone. Sigyn screams out his name as the red-head turns to face certain death. However, the finishing blow never arrives as Kimimaro finally dies.

Sigyn felt as though her heart stopped. She stared wide eyes as Kimimaros' lifeless body remained fixed in its attack pose. His bone blade was inches away from Gaaras' face but the girl was paralyzed with fear. She had been so focused on healing Lee that she failed to notice Kimimaros' attack.

A moment later, the girl, with Gaaras' aid, slowly makes her way towards Kimimaro and places her fingers on his neck, searching for a pulse. "He's definitely dead this time." She glances back to Gaara and Lee.

Once the initial shock wore off, Gaara lowered the trio back to the ground with his sand. Lee was grateful and let out a sigh in relief. Sigyn gave her thanks as well but was unable to maintain eye contact with the red-head. She was lost in depressing thoughts of herself when Gaara asked, "Are you alright?"

His raspy voice brought her back to reality. Quickly darting her eyes back to him, she smiled weakly and replied with a faint 'yes.' His gaze lingered on her for a moment before simply nodding in her direction.

Gaara and Lee were engrossed in conversation as Sigyn goes back to mentally berating herself. The red-head notices her sudden change in disposition. Lee and Gaara take a seat on either side of the girl. The red-head then starts talking about how Kimimaro reminded him of Naruto. They both would stop at nothing to protect the things precious to them. Sigyn refuses to look at Gaara, out of shyness, and instead opts to re-examine Lee once more.

"Whatever is troubling your mind, rest assured I am happy to see you." Gaara doesn't look at her, instead stares out towards Kimimaros' dead body. She gathers the courage to take a peak up at him but says nothing.

"Admittedly, I wasn't all to happy to see you but now, I am grateful you came to our aid." Lee thinks Gaara was talking to him and extends his hand out for the red-head to take. Gaara stares at him for a moment, nods and shakes his hand.

Sigyn and Gaara make eye-contact for a split second before they both quickly turned away. "Yes, thank you Gaara-san." The girl meekly says and continues, "I hope Naruto is ok. Maybe I should go look for him."

"No need to worry for Naruto. I saw his sensei, Kakashi I believe, go after him. I'm sure he's fine." Gaaras' words calm her down a bit.

Sighing, she replies, "Yes, I don't doubt he's fine. He's an idiot but very resilient." Sigyn releases an awkward laugh. "There, that should do it." She finishes with her healing and removes herself from Lees' side and stands up. "Let's go back and check on the others. I'm worried." The two males nod and they all start making their way back into the forest.

Gaara and Lee become engrossed in conversation as Sigyn goes back to berating herself. Lost in depressing thoughts, she falls behind the two males as now she is walking at a slower pace. A couple of minutes later, she fails to notice Gaara standing next to her. _'Useless, pathetic and should have done more to help,'_ were only a few of the things crossing her mind.

Gaara clears his throat to gain her attention. She is startled but says nothing. Sigyn looks ahead and notices Lee is a few paces ahead of Gaara and her. The red-head hesitates for a moment before asking, "why did you call out for me?"

Sigyn is confused but soon realizes what he means. " Oh! You mean when I was afraid you were a goner to Kimimaro." When she processed what she just said, the girl blushes deeply. "Not that you weren't strong enough or anything! I was, I mean, he was so close to you I thought, well, ah I'm sorry, I was afraid I'd lose you." She looks away from him. Her gradually heating face becoming a burden.

Gaara is unsure of how to respond or feel. No one had ever said they were afraid of losing him before. A shrill voice enters his mind. _'Told you she likes you.'_ Ignoring Shukaku, the red-head replies with a 'thank you.' Shukaku laughs inside Gaaras' mind. _'Tell her you've kept all her letters. That'll make her happy. Or perhaps, think you're a creep.'_ He laughs once more before an irritated Gaara shuts him out.

Sigyn turns to him and gives a small smile. "No need! We're friends right? Of course I'll worry about you and you'll probably get annoyed with me." Again another awkward laugh. Gaara remains silent, which only fuels the girls' anxiety about what he must think of her.

"We'll see." Was his only response after a few seconds.


	6. Notice

Hello everyone! I hope you are doing well. I just wanted to post up a small notice about my works. It has come to my attention that my stories have quite a terrible amount of grammatical errors. I will be re-reading all of them to try and rectify that to the best of my abilities. I am slowly but surely, working on a new chapter for each of my stories so, I would like to thank those of you that have stood by and enjoyed my works, even with the copious amount of mistakes. Truly, I apologize.

Now with that being said, id like to inform all the critics that, when giving advice, it would be greatly appreciated if you would be mindful of your manner of speaking. A friendly reminder, if you are unhappy with any of my works, I assure you, there are plenty more wonderful stories out there for your enjoyment and I encourage you to read them. Thanks again!


	7. Chapter 6

Upon arriving in Konoha, Kiba turns to Sigyn and apologizes with tear stained eyes. "I'm sorry Sigy-chan but we'll have to reschedule our date." He was holding Akamaru tenderly in his arms. "I have to tend to him. I can't ever let him get hurt like this again." He whispers.

The green-eyed girl gave him a look of understanding. She placed her hand gently on the dogs back and gave him a tender stroke. "I understand." She softly spoke. Looking into Kiba's dark eyes, she gave him a small smile. "He'll be ok. Don't worry." The boy only nodded and proceeded to head home.

As everyone said their goodbyes, Sigyn turns to Gaara and halfheartedly smiles. "I'm sorry we couldn't spend time together in better circumstances but well, I'll take what I can get." She awkwardly laughs. The red-head slightly tilts his head to one side in understanding but offers no smile or words. "Uh, I should go clean up and maybe get something to eat." The girl pauses for a moment before continuing. "If you don't mind me asking, when exactly are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning." Gaara responds with his eyes never leaving her form. Unable to maintain eye-contact with him, the girl is unaware of his staring.

"That's what I thought." She sadly mumbles.

Before either of them could say anything else, Temari and Kankuro had just arrived at their younger brothers' side. Kankuro chimes in, "How about we stay tomorrow to do some sight seeing and leave the following day? Honestly I'm kinda tired and want a day to relax before we head back home."

"I would say no but, I would like to see Konoha a little more." Temari joins in.

"Oh yeah Konoha, rrriiiggghhhttt, or do you mean that smart guy Shikamaru?" Kankuro teases his sister. The blond girl blushes bright red but dismisses him.

"Absolutely not! He annoys me! I want nothing to do with him." She looks away from her brothers.

"Yeah, so that's why you accepted his invitation to the hot springs with him tomorrow night?" Kankuro continued to pester her.

"What?! No! That was simply to relax and talk about our intentions. He doesn't believe we really are trying to form an alliance with Konoha. This is strictly business." Temari huffs as Kankuro rolls his eyes. "What do you say Gaara?" She asks her youngest sibling.

Gaara is silent for a moment, taking into consideration what his siblings said. A hot spring bath did sound nice to him but they should really be gathering their belongings to prepare for their journey back home. He sighed.

"If it's alright with you," Sigyn interrupted his thoughts. "I'd really like to show you around. A hot spring bath does sound great. Besides, I can't see Naruto-kun right now. Nor Neji or Chouji. They're in the hospital so, the soonest I might be able to pay a visit is tomorrow morning. I'm sure Naruto-kun would like to thank you personally for assisting us in the mission." She finally looks up and meets Gaara's sea-foam eyes.

A slight smirk graces his handsome features and Gaara nods. "Alright. We'll stay one more day."

"Aww yeah, hot springs!" Kankuro stretches out his arms and Temari rolls her eyes.

-.-.-. The next morning-.-.-.-.-

Sigyn wakes from her bed bright and early and heads straight to the bathroom to ready herself. After her shower and brushing her teeth, the girl heads to her closet to pick out something to wear. She has nothing scheduled today, other than visiting her friends and making sure they were alright. The girl decides on a dark purple over sized sweater, a light blue flowing skirt, black leggings and some black closed-toed ninja sandals. She decides instead of her hair in its usual braids, to release it. Her hair cascades down to mid back in long ringlets. She does not wear make-up, she's not trying to impress anyone and besides, Naruto would probably tease her for it.

Satisfied with her outfit, Sigyn grabs her little frog wallet, a gift from her goofy blond friend and heads to Ino's flower shop. The blond girl is setting up her family shop when Sigyn arrives and is greeted with a polite 'hello.'

"What are you doing up so early Sigy?" The tall blond girl questions.

"Picking up flowers for the guys in the hospital." Sigyn softly replies.

Ino is visibly saddened but offers the girl a faint smile. "Yeah, I was going to head there myself after I help my parents open the shop. Well, feel free to look around and if you need help, just let me know." Sigyn nods in understanding and takes a look around the shop. She takes hold of two bouquets of purple Irisis for Neji and Chouji and a bouquet of honeysuckle for Naruto. She quickly pays Ino and thanks her.

Finally arriving at the hospital, the curly haired girl identifies Neji's room first. She softly knocks on the door but there is no answer. Carefully walking in, she notices the Hyuga boy fast asleep. Sigyn softly walks over to his bedside and takes a quick look at him. He appears tired, beat up but surprisingly peaceful. Placing the flowers in an empty vase, Sigyn whispers, "thank you for everything" and gives him a quick, formal bow.

Her next destination is Chouji's room. Again, she softly knocks on the door and this time, someone opens it. Shikamaru answers and Sigyn notices the dark bags under his eyes. She deduces he must have spent all night at his best friends bedside, without any sleep.

"Shika-kun, I didn't expect you here so early." Sigyn walks inside and makes her way over to Chouji's bedside table.

"I've been here since last night." He yawns. "Haven't slept yet."

"How has he been? Has he woken up at all yet?" Sigyn arranges the flowers neatly in a glass vase on the table.

"Not at all. The nurses think he will be out for a couple of days." Shikamaru sits down at Chouji's bedside.

"Then don't you think you should go home? You need to rest up too. Besides, I heard you have some sort of meeting with the sand siblings tonight?" Sigyn crosses her arms over her chest and gazes at the lazy ninja.

Shikamaru yawns once more. "Yeah, I'll be heading home soon to get some rest. I'll be meeting up with Temari to talk about this supposed alliance they have with Konoha." The boy pauses for a moment and looks Sigyn up and down briefly. The girl blushes at his staring and becomes nervous with the unwanted attention. Shikamaru notices this and apologizes. "Didn't mean to stare it's just, you look really nice today." And as if a light bulb went off in his head, the boy continues, "Oh that's right, it's for your date with Kiba."

"Oh no, we had to postpone it because of Akamaru's condition. Well, that and Kiba was pretty beat up too." Sigyn blushes once again from Shikamaru's comment on her appearance.

"So then, what's the occasion?" Shikamaru presses on with curiosity.

"Nothing really, I just haven't worn anything outside of my ninja attire in a long time, that's all." She clears her throat and tries to brush off the awkwardness. "Well, I'd better get going. Gotta see Naruto-kun and run errands."

"Yeah alright, see ya later." The lazy ninja's focus shifts back to his best friend sleeping on the hospital bed. Sigyn quietly exits the room and walks a few doors down the hallway to where Naruto should be resting.

Sigyn knocks softly and is surprised to see Gaara open the door to Naruto's room. "H-hey, What are you doing here?" She quietly greets the red-head. Then inwardly scolds herself for such a dumb question. What else would he be doing here?

"I thought about what you said yesterday. I came to see if Naruto was awake to properly say goodbye and make sure he was alright but it appears he is still resting." Gaara's eyes never left her. Sigyn was feeling flustered at his staring and thought perhaps wearing such casual attire wasn't such a good idea after all.

The girl nervously starts arranging the bouquet of honeysuckle flowers at Naruto's bedside table. "Yeah, it's too bad he's still sleeping." She looks over at the the blond boy wrapped in bandages and sadness washes over her. "I don't think I'll ever understand why he cares about Sasuke so much. He's done nothing but treat Naruto badly since they met." She sighs in frustration. "But, it's none of my business." She mumbles to herself.

Gaara's gaze is diverted back to Naruto's resting form. Silence engulfs the room for a few minutes. The red-head watches as Sigyn holds on to her blond friend's hand for a moment and then brushes some hair away from his face. Gaara is confused at her behavior. She treats Naruto with such gentleness, as if she is afraid he would shatter into thousands of pieces with her delicate touch. He wonders if she would treat him the same way if he ever got injured.

"Would you like a small tour of Konoha?" Sigyn suddenly asks. She rises from her seat next to Naruto's bedside and her emerald eyes now lock onto Gaara's sea-foam ones. "I also have to do some grocery shopping if you wouldn't mind tagging along with me, unless you have to return to your siblings?"

"Wouldn't you rather stay here at his bedside?" Gaara gestures towards Naruto.

"I doubt he will wake up today." She softly speaks and looks over at her blond friend once more. "Besides, Hinata will surely show up soon to keep him company." Sigyn smiles at the thought of this but it only confuses the red-head. "Anyway, what do you say?" Again, she meets his eyes and he nods 'yes.' Her smile at his simple reply makes his stomach do back flips. Gaara hears Shukaku snickering in the back of his mind.

-.-.-.-.- Noon -.-.-.-.-

"Those are just a few of the shops that are around here." Sigyn points out buildings as Gaara and her walk down the streets of Konoha. "If you have a sweet tooth, there's an awesome candy and bakery store not too far from here." She enthusiastically continues.

"I don't care for sweets much however, I will have one once in a while." Gaara briefly contemplated if his response would have upset the girl but was surprised to see her eyes light up.

"Well I'll bake you some cookies and we'll see if you can say no." She took what he said as a challenge and Gaara found himself smirking at her child-like personality. "Let's go grocery shopping next. I'll also pick up some stuff so I can make us dinner later and we can pay Naruto-kun and the others another visit."

"Alright." Gaara wasn't sure why Sigyn was so happy at his straightforward reply but seeing her smiling and going on and on about random topics made him comfortable. It helped put his stress at ease and he found himself inwardly happy and content.

-.-.-.- Later that evening-.-.-.-

"Hey Gaara-kun?" Sigyn kept her face serious and did not look over at the red-head while they walked through the streets of Konoha back to the girls' home. However, she was sure he was glancing over at her. When she heard his 'hm', she took it as her cue to continue. "I want to thank you for accompanying me while I shopped. You'd probably be happier with your siblings at the hot springs right now but I just want you to know, it means a lot that you wanted to hang out with me." She was was blushing furiously now, feeling foolish for saying such a thing. Gaara must think she was so odd for thanking him for something like that.

"I should be thanking you." His raspy voice was soft and low. His gaze was now focused on the buildings they were passing.

"Why?" Sigyn glanced up at the red-head but when he met her gaze, she quickly turned away and opted to stare at the buildings instead.

"No one has ever asked to spend time with me before. Doing something as simple as this with someone, is strange to me. I walk the streets of my village alone at night but I have never really taken in the sights. Thank you for showing me that something as easy as walking down the street, is much more enjoyable with a friend." Gaara felt anxiety rest in the pit of his stomach. He had never opened up to someone before. Not his siblings or Naruto and certainly not a girl. With Sigyn however, it felt right. He was nervous as to how she would react to him confessing this to her but was confident she wouldn't disappoint him.

Sigyn smiled up sweetly at him. "Happy I could help Gaara-kun. You know you can always count on me. Even if I have to make a fool out of myself, if it makes you smile, then it was worth it." She felt her face get hotter. Sigyn didn't mean to be so straight forward but with Gaara around, the girl couldn't help but blurt out what she was thinking.

"I just," There was a light pause, the girl contemplating on the right choice of words. "From what you told me, you don't really have happy memories. I'd like to create some with you. If that's what you want of course." The last sentence was added hastily. She was now uncomfortable and began mentally berating herself. Gaara was sure to think her stupid now for saying that. An awkward silence filled the air. The cricket's song was more audible now. Sigyn's heart bounced in her chest and she began to feel sick to her stomach. Her anxiety always getting the best of her.

A small smile tugged at the red-heads' lips but before he could answer, Sigyn, overwhelmed by the awkwardness, quickly pointed out her home was only two blocks away now. She urged Gaara to hurry up so she could quickly make dinner for the two of them. She explained to the sand-nin that she didn't want to keep his siblings waiting too long , so she would have to make a quick meal. Gaara remained silent but gave her a swift nod.

Upon arriving at her home, Sigyn quickly opened the door and led Gaara inside. The red-head took in his surroundings. It was very clean and everything was organised. The place wasn't too big but seemed to house two people. Gaara remembered Sigyn had mentioned her current sensei was her adoptive father.

"Your father, is he not here?" Sigyn had motioned for Gaara to sit down at the dinning table while she began cooking dinner.

"No, dad's out on another mission again." The tone in her voice was sad. "I'm not sure when he will be back."

Gaara could hear the sizzling sounds of whatever Sigyn was cooking. He wanted to offer her his assistance but remained seated instead. He didn't want to bother her or be a hindrance to his friend. "I know I have offered before but you could always visit my siblings and I in Suna, if you're not comfortable being alone. I'm sure Temari would like to have another girl in the house to spend time with." He wasn't sure if his offer would be considered but he wanted to be a good friend. That and Sigyn had opened up her home to him so he wanted to do the same for her.

"I'd really love to see Suna, thank you, but I have to ask my dad for permission. I can't just leave. He'd worry too much and besides," Sigyn had just finished cooking dinner and was bringing it over to the table. As she set both their meals down and took her seat across from the red-head she continued, "as long as I have Naruto-kun, I'm never really lonely. He's a handful honestly." Her sweet laugh echoed throughout the house.

Taking a small bite of the food she had made, Gaara glanced over at Sigyn and noticed her nervously staring at him. He chewed his food and swallowed. "If you are wondering how it tastes, it's fine. It's pretty good actually."

Sigyn smiled softly. "Oh, you're just saying that to be polite." Her eyes were cast down and she began to slowly eat her portion.

"I have not lied to you yet, have I?" Gaara continued to eat the rest of his dinner as he carefully watched the girl for her reaction.

"No, I suppose not. Then again, I wouldn't know if you have. But I trust you, so I believe you." Her words struck a chord with him. She was always so kind to him. Even in the letters he had received from her, she was always sweet and polite. It seemed everything she said made him feel better.

Sigyn glanced over at Gaara from time to time as they finished eating. She noticed the red-head seemed to be battling with himself. He seemed uneasy and as though there was something on his mind he was fighting against. "Is there something you want to ask?" The girl finally spoke up.

Gaara visibly hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I apologize if I am over stepping my bounds but this question has been eating away at me since yesterday." Sigyn smiled at him and nodded for him to continue. "You had a date planned with that other Konoha ninja today. The one with the injured canine. I was just hoping you didn't cancel your plans because you might have felt an obligation to show me around your village. I know we both agreed next time I was here you would show me around but not at the cost of your personal affairs."

Gaara remembered back to when they first arrived in Konoha, after the Sasuke recovery mission. He and his siblings had hung back to allow the Konoha ninjas to enter the village first. Temari had mentioned something about Sigyn being popular with the boys. When Kankuro inquired as to why she said that, his elder sister simply stated that she could see the way Kankuro and that ninja with the canine, often looked at the girl with longing. Kankuro stammered and replied with an annoyed denial. Temari had rolled her eyes at her younger brother and then said she overhead the cainine ninja mention something about a date. Gaara was confused as to what that was exactly and Temari had to explain it to him.

After that conversation, Gaara had become annoyed and had grown slightly bitter towards the canine ninja. However, Sigyn seemed to be friends with him so the red-head decided to remain polite and neutral on the subject. When he saw Sigyn's attire earlier at the hospital, memories of what Temari had said came flooding back. He thought she had dressed nicely in anticipation for her supposed date but then remembered she had canceled her plans to show Gaara around the village. He felt a pang of jealousy within him because Sigyn was his friend and truth be told, he didn't want to share her.

"Oh no Gaara-kun! Well I mean, yes I promised Kiba-kun a date but that's a long story. You had nothing to do about the cancellation. I didn't really want to go on that date but I had agreed to when we first set out to go on the mission to find Sasuke. Anyway, between you and me, I would have canceled regardless because I'd rather spend time with you." Again Sigyn blurted out what she was thinking. Her heart started to beat violently in her chest and she could feel her cheeks quickly being to heat up. "Ah! Well look, it's getting really late, we should start heading back to meet up with your siblings."

Sigyn collected their dishes and quickly washed them. Gaara didn't understand why the girl had become so flustered all of a sudden but he did agree with her, it was getting rather late. They both gathered their things and headed out the door.

As they made their way towards the hot springs, the pair would engage in small talk. Everytime Gaara would tell her of his training and the new jutsu's he had learned, the girl appeared to be enthralled. She hung to his every word and her gasps and laughs would capture his attention more than he cared to admit. He was happy here and it seemed as though Shukaku was too. The demon had not said a single word to Gaara since leaving the hospital with her and the red-head was grateful for it.

It was dark out now but not too late. Sigyn inwardly hoped Gaara's siblings weren't too upset they had to wait for they're little brother. Upon arriving at the hot springs, Gaara's siblings were already waiting outside. Shikamaru was also present but had a rather annoyed look on his face. Then again, Shikamaru frequently held that expression. Sigyn politely greeted the group and Temari was the first to speak.

"Everything go well?" The blond girl gave Sigyn a quick look up and down and then returned her gaze to her brother. Gaara nodded 'yes' and Temari's posture relaxed a bit. "Good, well we had better get some sleep. It'll be a long journey back home tomorrow." Temari took one quick look at Shikamaru but said nothing.

"Troublesome woman." The shadow ninja muttered under his breath and Kankuro only snickered as he narrowly avoided his sister who tired to smack him.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye." Sigyn sadly cast her eyes to the floor. She wished her friend could have stayed just a little longer.

"Do you think, perhaps your father would allow you to visit Suna anytime soon?" Gaara's question caught her off guard.

"I'm not sure. I mean, well even if he did, I'd have to find a place to stay and-" before she could finish her rambling, Gaara cut her off.

"You could stay with me remember? At my home." Now Shukaku started snickering in his mind again.

"I don't think your siblings like me very much." Sigyn softly replied so only he could hear. However, when she noticed Gaara's facial expression slightly change to that of disappointment, the girl quickly agreed. "But that doesn't matter! I'll be there to see you, not them. I'll make it work somehow."

Gaara nodded and his expression became neutral again. "Just send a letter for when you are ready to visit. If you need an escort I can send someone or I can escort you myself if you feel more comfortable."

"Oh no no, an escort won't be necessary. I can manage, no worries! Anyway, until next time then." She gave him a goofy smile that Gaara found amusing but he only nodded at her and followed behind his siblings.

-.-.-.-.-.-.- One month later -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sigyn had begged and pleaded to her father, Yamato, to allow her to spend one weekend at Gaara's house. Well, she told him it was to hang out with Temari and Gaara and Kankuro would be unavoidable as they all lived together. Yamato, skeptical and not buying into Sigyn's terrible lie, refused to let her go. However, after many promises to do this and that and after pointing out what a good daughter she had been, overall, he sighed and agreed. Only for two days he sternly warned her. If she was not back by the strict time he had set, there would be consequences he assured her. She whole heatedly agreed with his terms and conditions and her mind was now racing with anticipation.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Great job on learning your new jutsu in just a week Sigy." Kain was wiping sweat off his face with a towel his sister had tossed to him.

"Yeah, I had to. I wanted to make sure I learned this before I left for Suna." Sigyn yawn and stretched out.

"Oh that's right, you leave in three days right?" Satori was walking up to the pair with some water in hand. Sigyn nodded and took one of the water bottles from Satori. "Wonderful! Kain and I shall join in."

Sigyn nearly spit out the water she was drinking in surprise. "W-what?! W-why?!" She stammered.

"Oh, will we be bothering you? You want some alone time with the red-head darlin?" Satori cheekily inquired.

Kain, who had leaned against a large tree to rest, opened his eyes to glare at Sigyn. "Yeah Sigy, you need some alone time with your boyfriend?" He asked dryly.

"Oh c'mon you guys, it's not like that at all! Would your father even let you guys go?" Sigyn inwardly hoped the answer was no.

"It took some convincing but daddy agreed to let us go. He was actually well acquainted with Gaara's late father, the fourth Kazekage! I asked him a week ago when you told us about your little trip. He was hesitant at first but a visit from your father persuaded him to agree! Daddy said we could turn this into a mission to become in good standing with Suna's new Kazekage." Satori clapped her hands in excitement. "Suna has a beautiful beach not too far from their main city! Dad took Kain and I there a couple of times when we were kids. It'll be so great to go back. I'm so excited! I can't wait!"

"Yeah, same here." Was Kain's deadpan reply.

Sigyn felt overpowered by the siblings and she always had trouble saying no. She also felt annoyed that her dad would go to such lengths to keep an eye on her. He did worry quite a bit for the girl but she was angry he didn't trust her to go alone to Suna and back. She gave her best fake smile as Satori took both her hands and jumped up and down. "Oh and you don't have to worry about letting your little friends know we'll be coming with, daddy already took care of that. Suna will be expecting us!"

"I can't wait." Sigyn managed to reply.


End file.
